Three Little Months
by dwellondreams
Summary: Edward Cullen, needing to escape Forks, decides to spend his summer vacation in Phoenix. He's not expecting much, certainly not the beautiful girl next door. But how can he trust her when he's already been hurt once? Full summary inside. AU All human.
1. Prologue

**Summary**

**Edward Cullen, just finished his senior year in highschool, goes to Phoenix to spend his summer vacation. He's not expecting much - all he wants is to get away from the gossiping residents of Forks. He's certainly not expecting the beautiful girl next door. But can he trust her? After he's already been hurt once? And how much can three little months really change? AU All Human. Canon pairings.**

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first attempt at a twilight fanfic. Well, this is my first attempt at _publishing _a twilight fanfic. Either way, I'm new at this, so bear with me ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

Prologue

It was my all my mother's idea, going to Phoenix. She had approached me one evening in the living room while I was practicing. She knew playing always put me in a good mood.

"It would just be for the summer," She said as she sat down beside me on the piano bench, "the weather's _lovely _there, and Emmett could go with you…"

"Mom-" I began, but she cut me off.

"Edward, don't tell me you're "fine", again. You're not fine. I know you're not. I just think it would really help if you got away for a bit… until it all blows over."

She had a pained expression on her face, and I wondered vaguely if she saw the same thing on mine. I hated seeing her worrying about me - she did it far too often - and it hurt to see her so anxious because of it.

It was that look, and _only_ that look, that had made me agree to go.

So here I was, suddenly boarding a plane to Phoenix, Arizona, off to spend 3 months staying with one of my mom's best friends – Elizabeth. It was raining when I left, as usual, but this time it made me feel homesick. And I hadn't even left yet.

I had lived in Forks, a small town in Washington, my entire life, with my older brother Emmett and my parents, Esme and Carlisle. And I had been relatively happy. No, content would be the right word. I had been content with my life, until I met _her._

Tanya was new in school, with a typical attitude problem. When it was me she had paid attention to I had been very surprised, I was hardly her type. But behind the initial shock, I was somewhat thrilled. She was dangerous, exciting. Usually girls flung themselves at me, but she somehow managed to play hard to get while still making sure I knew she wanted me. We began spending more and more time together. We'd go to parties and she'd get so drunk I'd have to carry her home. I didn't mind that much - she was like a drug. Alluring and addictive.

But things began to change fast. Very fast.

At parties she'd disappear for hours on end, only appearing minutes before it was time to go. She'd stumble towards me smelling of smoke and alcohol and whatever perfume she was wearing. And as usual I'd carry her home. But during school I knew something was different. She acted distant towards me and made excuses about not sitting with me at lunch. This went on for weeks and weeks until she finally told me.

She was pregnant.

I looked out the window, seeing clouds and only patches of blue. No matter how much I tried not to think about her, I couldn't. The baby wasn't mine. _The baby wasn't mine._

It couldn't be, we hadn't slept together. Hell, I hadn't slept with _anybody. _

I don't think she meant to cheat on me. She had probably been drunk. At one of the parties…

My stomach churned at this thought. _I was there.. She cheated on me while I was in the next room._

I shook my head trying to clear my head and looked across my brother. He was flicking through the catalogue they gave out at the start of the flight.

"You want anything, Eddie?" Emmett looked up.

"No, and don't call me Eddie." I said with a frown.

Emmett grinned and called over the air hostess. She all but sprinted down the aisle to get to us.

"How can I help you, sirs?" She said with a smile, looking Emmett and I up and down.

"Well," Emmett looked at her name tag "Wendy, is it?" He smiled. She giggled and nodded. "My brother Eddie here is feeling a bit down, do you have anything that could cheer him up?"

"Emmett…" I groaned. "See?" he said, still grinning at Wendy. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch my brother flirting. I was used to this by now. Girls loved him. So did the guys. He was probably one of the funniest people I had ever met. And one of the biggest. Behind this tough exterior I knew that he was really one giant teddy bear though.

"Would you like to order headphones for the movie? _Meet the Parents _will be starting in 10 minutes…" I heard Wendy ask.

"No, thank you." I said, forcing myself to open my eyes and return her smile.

The rest of the flight passed quickly. Emmett fell asleep after an hour, and I spent the remaining 3 hours contemplating calling Tanya. By the time I had decided it was a bad idea we had touched down in Phoenix. It was about midnight, and dark outside.

We spent about half an hour getting our rental car – a silver Volvo- and our luggage until finally we could leave the airport.

"So, what did Mom do to get you to agree to this anyway?" asked Emmett as I got into the driver's seat.

"Nothing, I thought it would be a good idea."

"You're a terrible liar, did you know that?" He replied, laughing.

"So I've been told."

"Aw cheer up, Eddie, plenty more fish, or women – whichever you prefer, in the sea"

I glared at him and pulled out of the parking lot.

It took us about an hour to find the Masen's house. And when we did I couldn't help but admire it.

Three stories high and painted white, it was huge. Lights from the garden bounced off the walls, casting everything else in shadow. We pulled up and headed to the front door, planning on getting our bags later on.

I rang the doorbell and a minute later heard the locks clicking as someone opened the door.

"Mrs. Masen?" I asked as a woman about my mom's age answered in a dressing gown. I felt guilty for arriving so late.

"Edward, Emmett? Is that you?" She exclaimed, beaming. She pulled the both of us into a hug (which, considering Emmett's size, is no mean feet) and somehow managed to drag us through the door.

"Thank you for letting us stay with you, Mrs Masen." Emmett said politely. Like I said, women loved him.

"Oh call me Liz, don't make me feel old!" She laughed, leading us into a large open kitchen.

"Peter! The boys are here!" She called up the stairs. A tall, balding man appeared at the top of the stairs and made his way down.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Masen" I said, holding out my hand to shake his.

"Peter, please" He said, shaking my outstretched hand.

After we were asked all the usual questions – how the flight was, how school was going (how college was for Emmett and what college I was going to in September), the normal stuff, we fetched our bags from the car and returned to the kitchen to find Liz making coffee.

"And Edward, how are you these days?" asked Liz carefully. I suppressed a grimace.

How many people had Esme told?

"Can't complain," I said, not giving too much away.

Liz continued watching me carefully, as if I might burst into tears at any moment, until I saw her trying to conceal a yawn behind her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we're keeping you both up. Emmett and I are fine if you want to go back to bed" I said.

She looked at me guiltily "I'm sorry, we were up early this morning and… well…" she smiled apologetically "I'll show you to your rooms and you can get settled."

After being shown my room I collapsed on the bed, fighting the sleep that threatened to engulf me. I wasn't ready to sleep just yet.

I looked around the room I would be spending the next three months in. I had the lights switched off but the moon outside lit up the room. It was quite large, and had its own bathroom. I smiled as I noticed a box of chocolates sitting on the desk. The Masens really did seem nice.

But even with the Masen's hospitality I doubted very much if this little trip would help me. Three months away from Forks, away from the gossiping residents, away from Tanya… How much could three little months really change?

**So, should I continue? Please please REVIEW and tell me what you think!**


	2. First Sight

**A/N: Thank you to all the people who reviewed! I definitely wasn't expecting that much of a response. You wouldn't believe how happy all your comments made me! Glad to know you like the story so far :) Oh and someone asked a few questions about the story and since I couldn't reply to an anon review I'll answer them here.**

_Are Edward and Emmett vampires or not?  
_

**No, everyone is human in this story.**

_Is Bella involved in the series?_

**Yes :)**

**If anyone has any more questions please don't hesitate to ask. ****And finally, after this long, boring a/n, on to the actual chapter...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just go over to Stephenie Meyer's house and play with her dolls for a couple of hours.**

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First Sight

"I'm pregnant, Edward."

"No..."

"I'm sorry. I really did have fun these past few months."

"It's not... mine?"

She scoffed at that. "Don't be ridiculous, of course it's not yours. I hardly slept with you when you weren't looking, did I?"

I flinched at her words; she seemed not to notice and carried on speaking. But my attention was long gone. I couldn't get the image of her, with someone else, another drug user, another alcoholic, another _somebody_, out of my head.

"...I mean it's not like I was planning on college anyway, so it really doesn't make that much of a difference..." I snapped out of my daze at that.

"That much of a difference? You think it doesn't make _that much of a difference!?_" I hissed. "You're pregnant, you're having a _baby!" _I stared at her in shock, wondering what was going on in that head of hers.

She opened her mouth to reply but instead let out a small gasp. Suddenly her features began changing, they grew smaller, her nose became slightly more upturned, her lips shrunk before my very eyes. Her entire body began to get smaller... changing in shape as it went... I closed my eyes tightly, not believing what I was seeing. Then I heard a startled cry. I opened my eyes and immediately wished I hadn't. In front of me no longer stood Tanya. In her place was a tiny baby, wrapped in blankets, lying on the ground. It was crying, pining for its mother perhaps...

My eyes snapped open as I awoke with a start. I was breathing heavily and I was bathed in a light sheet of sweat. I looked around me, making sure I was definitely awake. I was; I was back in bed in a house somewhere in Phoenix.

I tried to steady my breathing as my head hit the pillows once again. I had had this dream before, it was now a regular occurrence. It always ended the same way, Tanya morphing into a crying baby. It made no sense of course, but when did dreams ever?

Begrudgingly I got out of bed and gazed at the alarm clock beside the bed. Half two in the afternoon.

"Crap." I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair. I would probably seem rude now, arriving downstairs this late. Deciding that I might as well take a shower I grabbed a towel from my unpacked suitcase.

I took my time in the shower, composing myself before I headed downstairs. Liz would be watching me like a hawk, no doubt on my mother's orders. Again with the worrying.

When I opened the door to the kitchen I was surprised to find only Emmett, sitting at the breakfast bar sipping coffee.

"Morning," I mumbled as I headed to the refrigerator to get some juice.

"Is it?" replied Emmett, not glancing up from the sports section of the newspaper he was reading.

"Where are Liz and Peter?"

Emmett glanced at me, eyebrows slightly raised. "They're at work, Edward. Some people get up and go to this thing called work." He replied with a smirk. I decided to ignore his reply.

Pouring myself a glass of orange juice I looked out the window for the first time. It was startlingly bright outside and I found my eyes had a hard time adjusting to it, having seen only clouds for 18 years. Leaving my full glass on the counter I made my way through the French doors that led onto the spacious garden, intending on enjoying the good weather at least.

I closed the doors behind me and stepped onto the patio, making my way to the large area of grass beyond it. I was looking up the extravagant bird feeder situated in the center of the yard, wondering how a bird would need a bath that size, when something caught my eye.

In the very corner of the garden, lying on a sun lounger was a girl about my age. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and judging by her closed eyes, seemed to be fast asleep. Her long brown hair was fanned out underneath her, spread across the cushioned back of the lounger. I couldn't help but gasp; she was very pretty. My feets must have moved of their own accord because I was somehow several feet closer to her and had no recollection of how I got there. Self-consciously I looked around me, suddenly feeling like some sort of peeping tom.

I was surprised my mother hadn't mentioned that the Masen's had a daughter my age. Surely this wouldn't have escaped her notice? She was constantly trying to fix me up with someone new in the hopes I would forget Tanya.

I glanced back up at the sleeping girl, not knowing quite what to do. Should I go over and introduce myself? Or should I simply race back into the house before she wakes up? Deciding the latter would be easier I began to head back into the house. Unfortunately I was so caught up in getting there as fast as I could I didn't see the bird feeder. My knee hit the metal pole with a loud ring, and the bird bath clattered to the ground. I cursed, wondering why the Masen's couldn't have put the bird feeder on the grass instead of the tiles, and turned around.

She was awake, as I knew she would be, and looking at me with curious brown eyes. Even in my nervous state I couldn't help but marvel at how deep they seemed, even at a distance. Knowing I couldn't possibly procrastinate anymore I walked over to her, hands in my pockets. Looking down at her I did the only thing I could.

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen," I hoped my voice came off as confident.

She just continued to gaze up at me, looking rather scared.

_You idiot, she doesn't know what you're doing here! She probably thinks you're just a very polite rapist..._

"I'm staying with your family for the summer. It's nice to meet you,"

Still she said nothing.

"You must've been asleep when Emmett, that's my brother, and I got here last night," I went on, feeling more and more foolish, "I didn't know the Masen's had a daughter."

This got her attention.

"The Masens? You think I'm Liz and Peter's daughter?" she said, sounding surprised.

"Aren't you?"

"No, I live next door," she said, fidgeting with the collar of her shirt. "They let me use their garden to sunbathe in, because mine is too sheltered." She glanced across to the garden next door. Indeed, many trees had been planted, casting much of the garden in shade.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I just assumed..." I glanced down at her, and noticed her staring at me. I held her gaze until I saw a tinge of red creeping into her cheeks. I suppressed my smile. "So your name would be..."

"Oh, right. Bella, Bella Swan," she replied quickly, the blush returning to her unusually pale face. This time I couldn't contain my grin.

Bella mumbled something before getting off the sun lounger and standing up straight. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Edward." She stuck out her hand. I stared at it for a moment before taking it. It seemed so formal.

"Where are you from?" Her question brought me out of my thoughts.

"Forks, Washington."

"Huh," she said, cocking her head to the side. "What made you come to Arizona?"

I looked down, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I thought it'd be good to do some travelling. My mother knew Liz from college and suggested me and my brother come here for the summer. Get some sun." I looked up and attempted a smile that I was sure was as transparent as my answer.

She seemed to sense my discomfort and didn't push the subject, thankfully. "Plenty of sun in Phoenix." she replied awkwardly. Suddenly the atmosphere was tense, like she knew I was keeping something from her.

"I had better head back, Emmett's probably wondering where I am. It was nice meeting you, Bella." I said before turning around and practically running back to the house.

I knew it was rude, leaving so abruptly, but I just had to get away. The conversation had changed so quickly I just couldn't handle it. I wasn't ready to meet new people, especially girls, just yet. Tanya had done more than cheat on me - she had made me lose my faith in people. The only people I could trust were my family. I wasn't sure when, if ever, I'd be able to trust girls again. They were all the same. This Bella girl would be no different.

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**Well, how was it? REVIEW and tell me! **

**Oh and I just wanted to let everyone know that Edward and Bella's relationship will not just happen overnight. I really hate those fanfics where they meet and they're married like, the next day. I want E and B's relationship to develop slowly, so the can get to know each other. I like stories where they _don't _get along perfectly in the beginning. How boring is it when everything goes smoothly? ;) Besides, Edward's hurt, and he's not ready to date just yet. **


	3. Interfering

**A/N: Hello! Sorry this took so long to get out - I had originally planned to write this sooner but I was swamped with my new job (working 9-6 five days a week for the whole summer) and freaking out over the special edition of Eclipse ;P Anyway, finally found time to get this out! Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed, I'm glad you share my views on E/B's relationship! I didn't get as many reviews as the first chapter, but the ones I did get really helped me to write this (knowing you guys like the fic really put pressure on me - in a good way!), reviews are the best motivation. Anyway, sorry for the life story ;P**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer and I don't own Twilight. But you guys already knew that ;)**

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Interfering

As I picked up my juice from the counter and sighed, Emmett looked up at me, eyebrows raised.

"That was quick." He noted.

"Hmm." I said, taking a sip of the now warm drink.

"What were you doing out there anyway?"

"Bird watching."

"Eddie, I thought you had more respect for women than that," Emmett grinned playfully. "Should you really be using terms like that for Bella?"

I choked on my drink and my eyes burned. Gasping, I managed to reply. "You already met her? And you didn't tell me she was out there!?"

"Hey, hey, chill. No, I haven't met her, but I saw her, asked Peter who she was and he told me," He replied quickly. "Why… what did you do?" His eyebrows narrowed.

"Nothing!"

"That's what I was afraid of…." Emmett frowned. He got up from the table and put his hand on my shoulder. He had that look on his face, the "I'm your older brother and I know what's best for you" look. This could not be good.

"Look, you came here so you could forget about Tanya. You can't spend the entire three months moping around, ignoring _opportunities_…"

My eyebrows burrowed in confusion.

"Bella looks friendly."

No. _Oh no._

"No, Emmett. Just, no. Don't even try," I shrugged away from him and retreated to the refrigerator. "That's not what I came here for."

"Not all girls are like Tanya, Edward. Not all girls –"

"No, Emmett, I'm not listening." I didn't want to let him finish that sentence. Throwing my juice down the sink I rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room. Praying my brother wouldn't try to follow. He didn't.

I collapsed on to my bed, exhaling deeply.

I wasn't ready for this. What was I thinking, coming here? This was useless, I couldn't get Tanya out of my head. What I did not need right now was Emmett trying to set me up with the girl next door. _The very pretty girl next door._

Still, Tanya was pretty. Looks didn't matter, clearly they were not a reflection of personality.

Once again my thoughts drifted to my dream this morning, remembering all too clearly the words she had said to me.

Maybe I was just overreacting. People cheat on their - what was I, a boyfriend? Yes, a boyfriend – one of many, probably. People cheat on their boyfriends all the time. It was just a silly high school romance… I didn't think I loved her. I didn't remember ever feeling _that _way. That butterflies-in-your-stomach-can't-stop-thinking-about-them sort of feeling. No, I definitely hadn't felt that. Excitement? Yes, plenty of that. But I hadn't loved her.

Still, I had cared for her, and my self-esteem had taken a major hit when she had said those two little words. Not that I had been overly cocky, but like I said, I had been content with my life, content in myself. Now I was blaming myself for this entire thing. But I couldn't _help_ but think it was my fault.

Maybe I just wasn't meant to have anybody in that way. Maybe some people aren't meant to fall in love. Or maybe you only get one shot at happiness, and I had just blown mine by refusing to have sex.

It seemed silly - but very plausible in my mind as I lay staring at the ceiling. I don't know how long I lay there for, but I could see the sky slowly darkening outside, giving me a rough idea of the time.

"Edward!"

The sound of my name brought me out of my melancholy and I sat up, waiting for the door to open. As soon as Emmett came into my line of view I fell back on to my pillow.

"We're going out." He stated, looking around my room.

"No we're not, Emmett."

To my surprise, he didn't look annoyed. In fact, he was fighting a grin.

"Liz just called, we're meeting her and Peter for dinner. We have to go."

I groaned and got up, knowing arguing was futile.

"Atta boy. And I picked the restaurant, so you know it'll be good."

I raised my eyebrows. "How on earth did _you _pick the restaurant? We've only just gotten here, you don't know where anything is!"

"A friend told me this place is good. I got directions and everything. And they have hot waitresses."

"A friend? Emmett, what the hell are you talking about?"

"C'mon, we need to go, our reservations are for seven." He turned on his heel and left without waiting for my reply.

He was hiding something.

As we pulled up to a small, old looking building with ivy crawling up the walls, I saw the sky had turned cloudy, with only patches of moonlight shining through. I knew from the gloomy, pregnant clouds that it was going to rain, and soon.

Slamming the car doors shut Emmett and I headed towards the entrance to _La Bella Italia_. The parking lot was relatively empty as it was a Monday night, and I hoped to God this meant we could get our food quickly and leave. I noticed a shiny red convertible near the entrance, and had to resist the urge to go check it out. I liked cars.

We were greeted by a pretty blonde at the door, who beamed when she saw us.

"Emmett, you came!" she ran over and jumped into my brother's arms as I stood there in shock.

"Course I did, Rose, I never break promises." He released her from his bear hold and winked. She fought back a smile as she gazed up at him.

I cleared my throat loudly, waiting for one of them to notice me. When they didn't I took matters into my own hands.

"Do you two… know each other?" I asked, confused.

"I met Emmett this afternoon. I'm Rosalie Hale, you must be Edward. He's told me so much about you," She stuck out her hand I took it reluctantly, cursing my brother and wondering how much he had told her. "It's a funny story actually, me and Bella were just talking when – "

"_Bella_?" The word shouldn't have shocked me so much, but I had a feeling this was related to what Emmett was hiding.

"Yes… Bella Swan. She's my friend," Rosalie said the words slowly, thinking me retarded. "So anyway, we're sitting in the Masen's garden when suddenly we hear this _clang. _So we look up and there's your brother, holding a broken bird bath in his hands! " She punched said brother on the arm playfully as I grimaced. I guess I cracked it earlier. "You looked so ridiculous!" She said, turning to my brother, laughing.

"And let me guess, you suggested this place?" I scowled.

"I'm working late tonight and figured your brother would keep me entertained." She shrugged, chancing a glance at the bear beside her.

Emmett laughed then, a genuine, deep throaty kind of laugh, one I rarely heard him use around the girls he flirted with. This must be serious.

I coughed again, knowing I was being obnoxious but wanting to get this dinner over with. With a sigh and a meaningful glance at Emmett, Rosalie led us through a second set of doors and into the dining area. It was cosy, without being too small and lit by dozens of candles. The atmosphere seemed light and cheerful, in contrast with my mood, with laughter and a dozen conversations jumbled together as the background music.

We followed her to a table in the corner, where Liz and Peter were already seated. We exchanged greetings, both of them asking how I was. I had to bite my tongue for that question.

"I'll be back with menus." said Rosalie when we sat down. With one last smile at my brother, who gladly returned it, she headed through a set of swinging doors to what must have been the kitchen.

"You dragged me here so you could hook up with some _girl?_" I hissed at Emmett when I was sure Liz and Peter were distracted.

"Hey, Rose isn't just _some girl. _She's different." He whispered back defensively.

"Oh please, you just want – " but my reply was cut short by Rosalie appearing at our table with four menus. "Me and Bella traded with Jess and Lauren, we've got you guys for the night."

Emmett grinned as my jaw dropped.

I was speechless, and definitely didn't need the kick Emmett gave me under the table. I managed to close my mouth just as the kitchen doors were swung open again, and through them stumbled a brown-haired girl carrying a tray of drinks. Her face was crimson as she looked up, embarrassed she had tripped, and I caught a glimpse of her brown eyes before a curtain of hair obscured them.

Her _impossibly deep _brown eyes.

I was going to kill my brother.

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**Please Review? I'll share internet cookies with you? Not quite as good as the real thing, but it's the thought, right? Reviews will help me get the next chapter out faster! Honestly, knowing you guys want to read more makes me want to _write _more.**


	4. Better This Way

**A/N: Because all your reviews were so amazing as soon as I got in from work I sat down and wrote this :) And, it's the longest chapter yet, because so many of you said my chapters were too short (which is true, but I find it hard to write long chapters). This one is 6 pages in Word, so hopefully I won't get that complaint this time ;) Anyway, enjoy!**

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Better This Way

Bella was distracted, serving drinks to an old couple on the opposite side of the room. I needed to talk to Emmett now, before she reached our table.

"Emmett? A word please?"

He sighed and reluctantly got up from the table. I followed him and we made our way back outside.

"I know what you're going to say, and before you say it, hear me out." Said Emmett, holding up his hands.

I frowned and started grinding my teeth in a effort to keep from shouting at my brother. He knew I was listening.

"Rose thinks your biggest problem is you're scared of getting hurt. But like I said earlier, Edward, not all girls are like Tanya," I opened my mouth to interrupt but he held up a finger to stop me. "You're not even giving anybody else a chance. You know Bella thinks she did something wrong this afternoon? Because you practically sprinted into the house?"

My frown became more and more pronounced as I listened to Emmett, having heard it a million times before, but I couldn't help but be surprised at the last bit.

"She thinks she did something wrong?" I raised my eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah, she was telling Rosalie earlier. She thinks you hate her or something."

"Well that's silly, I mean she asked why I came here, but she couldn't know…"

"Exactly. But can you see how she might interpret your behavior?" He sighed, "Can you promise to be polite for just one evening? And not treat everyone like they're out to get you?"

I sighed too, and nodded, because there was no point in arguing. I could put up with pretending for one night.

We made our way back inside and joined Liz and Peter at our table.

"You boys alright?" said Peter, giving us a questioning look.

"Yeah, just needed to have a little talk with Eddie." He grinned. Emmett was back to his usual buoyant self, much to my chagrin.

I groaned and picked up the menu to distract myself and noticed Bella coming out of the kitchen. With a notepad.

_Oh crap._

She reached our table and with a smile greeted Liz and Peter. She turned to Emmett and grinned, "Rose has got you whipped already!"

"Whatever do you mean, Bella?" Emmett said, pulling Bella down to sit beside him in the booth. He ruffled her hair playfully, while I sat there, unsure whether to be amused or annoyed.

"You're here, in the restaurant where she works because she couldn't get the night off to go out with you!" laughed Bella.

"I heard the food was good! If any waitresses I happened to have asked out are working tonight then it's merely a coincidence…"

"Should I tell Rose that?" She raised one eyebrow.

"Alright, alright you two, how about we order?" Liz laughed, interrupting before Emmett could redeem himself.

Bella smiled and got up from the bench, straightening her work uniform and pulling a pen from her apron pocket.

She took everyone's orders for starters and the main course, laughing at Emmett when he asked if he could substitute the side salad with a 12" pizza.

"Edward?" she turned to me, uncertain.

"I'll have the bruschetta and then the mushroom ravioli." I replied, keeping my tone light.

"Okay guys, it should be about ten minutes." She turned and headed back to the kitchen, putting her pen back in her apron.

"See, that wasn't too hard now, was it?" whispered Emmett.

"All I did was order." I replied. Surely he hadn't thought me incapable of ordering?

"It's a start."

We chatted with Liz and Peter for a while, they asked us how we liked Phoenix so far. Liz looked at Emmett with a small smile when he replied.

"How did you and Rose meet?" she asked, still smiling.

"Oh yeah… about that… I uh… sort of broke your bird bath… I'm really sorry"

To my surprise Peter burst out laughing, while Liz tried to keep a straight face. When the laughter had finally died down Peter explained.

"I'm sorry but we break that thing every week. We just bought that one last Saturday! One of us always seems to walk into the damn pole! I keep asking myself why we didn't put the bird feeder on the grass instead of the tiles."

I laughed along with Liz and Peter then, having done the exact same thing this afternoon.

Emmett looked at my strangely, and I sobered up to answer his unspoken question.

"I did the exact same thing this afternoon, I probably cracked it"

He rolled his eyes just as Rose returned with our starters and drinks we had ordered earlier.

"Okay, coke for Edward, the Sangiovese for Liz and water for Peter," She handed me a glass of coke before pouring a glass of red wine and a glass of water and passing them to their respective owners. "And Emmett, I'm afraid no one knew how to make an Adios Mother- well, you know the name, so I brought you a Hurricane instead." She passed him a cocktail glass filled with red liquid and ice.

"You don't know how to make an Adios mother - !"

Liz coughed, drowning out the end of Emmett's sentence. He had a look of disbelief on his face.

"You'll have to teach me sometime." Rose replied with a smirk.

"It's very easy, it's all in the stirring," He grinned suddenly, " 'Course, I'm exceptionally skilled with my hands – "

I groaned, wishing my brother didn't feel the need to toss innuendo into every sentence. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liz bite her lip, unsure of whether to laugh or to disapprove.

Soon after, Bella appeared with our starters, placing mine in front of me without saying a word. I ate my food in silence while the others chatted around me, Bella or Rose occasionally coming over to join us when they weren't busy.

Throughout the starter and main course Emmett kept ordering more Hurricanes and knocking them back like water. He had a very high tolerance for alcohol, but I knew if he kept this up he'd end up drunk. Lucky I was driving then…

As we finished up our main course Liz and Peter got up to leave, saying they were tired and had work in the morning. I looked at my watch – 10pm. Was it late enough to leave yet?

Apparently not.

More and more people began leaving the restaurant, until soon it was just Emmett and I, and of course Bella and Rose. They were closing up for the night and so had to stay late.

"Finally, everything's cleaned up. I'm dead on my feet." Whined Rose, sliding into our booth beside Emmett and slipping off her flats. He put his arm around her and began playing with loose strands of her hair. You'd think they'd known each other for months, not hours.

Emmett's eyes looked out of focus and he had a goofy grin on his face. Definitely out of it.

"Rosie, will you go out with me tomorrow night?" Emmett slurred his words slightly.

"Ask me when you're not drunk." smirked Rose.

"'Kay, call you tomorrow mornin' then." The stupid grin didn't leave his face.

She laughed just as Bella joined us, sliding in beside Rose. She too slipped off her shoes and sat with her feet curled under her. She looked extremely tired.

"Rose, we should get going. I have to be home by 11. You know how Charlie gets." said Bella, running a hand through her hair.

"And miss drunk Emmett? We'll just stay a bit longer, and then we'll leave, I promise."

"Rosie Rosie Rosie…" Emmett nuzzled his face into Rosalie's neck. I was embarrassed by his drunken behavior but she didn't seem to mind.

"He's cute, isn't he? Like a giant teddy bear…" said Rosalie, who had a smile on her face.

"You're lucky he's only half-conscious, he'd kill you for that one if his brain was functioning properly." It was the first time I'd spoken in hours.

She ignored this and rested her chin on Emmett's head. Though I hated to admit it, they did look "right" together.

"Rose…" said Bella, glancing at her watch..

"Hey, Edward's been looking at his watch all night, he's obviously keen to go home, why don't you ride with him and I'll drive Emmett home later?"

_What?_

Bella looked over at me, with what I could only describe as a frightened expression on her face.

"No no it's okay, I'll wait… or I could walk… Yes, I'll walk…"

"Don't be silly, Bells, Edward doesn't mind, do you?" Rosalie turned to me.

I was saved with coming up with an excuse by Bella jumping up from the table.

"No honestly, I'll walk. It's only a few miles. It'll be fine."

Without waiting for a response she hurried away, grabbing a bag from under the reception desk.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat while Rosalie shot daggers at me. "You're an idiot, you know that?" she said scowling.

"Yes, I've been told that." I replied stiffly. This girl had no right to interfere.

Getting up from the table I said goodbye to Emmett, who grunted in response, and left without saying a word to Rosalie.

It was raining when I got outside. Perfect. I hurried to my car, hastening to get the lock open so I could get out of the downpour. It was really coming down hard, and I felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of Bella walking home in this weather.

I reversed out of the parking lot with some difficulty – I was a good driver but it was near impossible to see with the rain – and set off down the street. I had just stopped at a stop sign a few feet down the road when I saw her.

She was huddled under a tree off the side of the road, obviously for shelter, but as I looked at her through the rain I knew she was soaked. She was shivering slightly, and her arms were wrapped around her, trying to keep herself warm. This was crazy.

Before I knew what I was doing, before I had time to think, I was pulling over and opening the passenger door.

"Get in." I said, without looking away from the steering wheel.

I heard someone gasp, before they quickly got into the car and shut the door. I started the car and chanced a glance at Bella while she fastened her seat belt. Her hair was dripping wet and her clothes were sticking to her. She didn't even have a jacket.

"That was a really stupid idea." I said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But it was my only option, wasn't it?" she replied, her voice as cold as mine had been.

She had seen right through me.

I ignored her, clenching the steering wheel so tightly it might have snapped.

We drove in silence for a few minutes until I saw the turn for our neighborhood.

I heard Bella sigh and the tense atmosphere seemed to collapse around us.

"I'm sorry." My voice sounded rough, even to my own ears.

"You have nothing to apologise for." She replied, her voice emotionless.

"It's better this way, trust me."

"Better what way, Edward? I don't understand you. I don't understand what I've done."

I let out a shaky breath. "It's better if we're not friends."

It was as if I could feel her stiffen next to me. I felt as is I could hear her breathing stop, feel her composing her features into an emotionless mask so as not to betray her. I was probably imagining it all, and I was not going to look over to see if I was right.

I slowed down and pulled over in front of what I knew was her house – it was right next door to the Masen's of course.

She got out of the car, mumbling a "thank you" before shutting the door behind her.

I groaned and began hitting my head off the dashboard. I didn't understand my reaction. Why should I feel guilty? I simply told a stranger (practically) that we couldn't be friends. There was no reason for me to feel so… conflicted.

I set off driving again, slowing down a few feet away and pulling into the Masen's driveway.

The stairs creaked as I crept up to my room, the door squeaked, my zipper made too much noise, the bed groaned under my weight as I lay down. Everything was too loud.

Emmett didn't come home that night. I was too lost in my thoughts to care.

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**How was it? Review and tell me? This time I'm offering internet chocolate cake! It's all lovely and melting too, so get it while it's hot :) Seriously though, your reviews mean so much to me, they really make my day, and they're the reason I got this chapter out so quickly.  
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	5. An Invitation Impossible to Resist

**A/N: I was going to go for a jog to work off the half a jar of Nutella I just ate, but then I remembered I hadn't updated in like a week and felt guilty, so here we are! (Btw it's totally all of your faults if I can't wear a bikini when I go to Italy next month...) Sorry for any mistakes, I was trying to get this out as quickly as possible!  
**

**Disclaimer: You know it, I know it, but incase Stephenie Meyer's lawyers forget; I don't own, or claim to own Twilight.**

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An Invitation Impossible to Resist

The next morning I was greeted with the sight of Emmett stumbling through the front door, clutching his head. Before the door slammed shut I could've sworn I saw Rosalie drive away in a red convertible, laughing.

He looked up at me and I raised my eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"Don't even start. Do we have any painkillers?" he moaned, now rubbing his temples as he headed into the kitchen.

"Hung over, are we?" I said, fighting a grin. He looked awful.

"No."

"Really?" I said, not bothering to hide my smile now. Hung over Emmett was more amusing than drunk Emmett. It was so easy to annoy him. And I needed to get my mind off –

"Maybe. Just slightly." He opened a cupboard and proceeded to take two aspirin before chugging down what must have been a gallon of water.

"So, what did you and Rosalie get up to?" I asked, although I had a pretty good idea. Emmett was very _physical _in his relationships, and it looked like Rosalie was the same way.

He looked confused for a moment before a look of horror came across his face. The "I just remembered what I did last night" look.

_This should be good._

"Oh no." His whispered, still looking horrified. "Oh no. Oh no. She… I… Did she… Did I…?"

"Care to speak English, Emmett?"

He looked up at me suddenly, as remembering I was there. "Never mind."

I'm sure my eyebrows had reached my hairline at this point. Clearly something embarrassing had happened last night that he didn't want me to know about.

"So you two…?" I trailed off, knowing he'd understand.

To my surprise and amusement, his face turned a bright pink. A color that reminded me strongly of –

He coughed and mumbled something before turning away from me.

"What was that?"

"No. We didn't."

I stared at him, incredulous. "Emmett, do you really expect me to believe you didn't sleep with her?"

"I. Did. Not. Sleep. With. Her." He was getting annoyed now, probably from all the embarrassment remembering last night was causing him.

Before I could reply the kitchen door was swung open and in sauntered Rosalie herself. She was carrying half a dozen grocery bags and my brother's jacket. She had a smirk on her face that was very different from the one she was sporting the night before.

"Emmett you forgot your jacket in my car – Oh, hello, Edward." She nodded in my direction. She had obviously forgiven me. Or so I thought. She put down the bags and sat up on the counter, pulling Emmett towards her.

"I was going to visit Bella while I'm in the neighborhood, she was supposed to be coming shopping with me and Alice but she has a head cold." Her gaze became a glare and I took an involuntary step away.

Obviously not.

"Oh, are Alice and Jasper back? Can I meet them?" Emmett interrupted.

"Yeah, they got back late last night. They called right after you passed out on the sofa when we were about to - "

Emmett coughed again as my eyes widened. I tried to contain my laughter but a snicker escaped. So this was why he was so embarrassed.

Emmett looked annoyed for a second before promptly changing the subject. "How about we meet them for lunch or something?"

"Wait," I interrupted, momentarily forgetting about my brother, "Who are Alice and Jasper?"

"Alice is one of my best friends. Jasper is my twin brother." Rosalie replied, sighing, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Jasper got his vacation a week later than I did, so Alice went to meet him up at ASU."

She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a black shiny phone. Flipping it open she turned to us, "I'll call and see if they're doing anything."

She began talking to the person on the other end at full speed.

"Hello? Alice? No, I just got here. No, not even after... I told you, he was – Well I could hardly – What? No! Ew! Who does that!? No, Alice – Alice!" She seemed to have a hard time getting a word in edge-wise with this Alice girl.

Emmett chuckled beside me before Rosalie picked up an apple off the table and fired it at his head.

"ALICE! Will you tell my brother he needs to restrain you or something? Okay, well do you want to meet us for lunch or something? Did you guys eat yet?"

There was silence as she listened to the reply.

"Okay, usual place? Two? That's fine, see you then."

She snapped the phone shut.

"We're meeting at Marty's at two, so Emmett, I'd advise you take a shower." She wrinkled her nose before relaxing and kissing him on the cheek. He smiled at her gesture before leaving to go take a shower.

I sat down at the table, pouring milk into my cereal when I realized Rosalie still hadn't left.

"Edward can you help me with these?"

I looked up to see her gesturing towards her shopping bags.

"I just bought Bella some cold medicine, some soup, you know, usual things."

"How much soup could she need?" I stared, open mouthed at the amount of food she must have bought.

She shrugged and picked up two of the bags, leaving me no choice but to carry the remaining four.

"Don't worry, you can just drop them in the kitchen, I'll bring them up to Bella."

I nodded and followed her out through the back door and into the garden.

The weather seemed to have returned to normal after last night's shower and the sun was now shining.

We made our way through the Masen's garden and over to the white picket fence which separated it from Bella's.

She headed straight for the back door as I shot her a quizzical look.

"The back door's always unlocked during the day." She shrugged.

She opened the door and I followed her in, not knowing what to expect.

And what I saw was definitely a surprise.

The back door led onto a living room filled with lavish furnishings and over the top art on the walls. The room was cramped, a large bookshelf dominating the room, making it look much smaller than it actually was. Large plants were placed around the space at regular intervals, along with unusual shaped ornaments and sculptures. However it was the baby grand piano that caught my eye. I was immediately drawn to it, making my way across the room to caress the keys gently with my fingers. The grocery bags were now on the floor, forgotten. It had been a few days since I had played, the Masens not owning a piano. My fingers brushed lightly across the smooth black surface; I was itching to play.

"When you're done fondling the piano I'd really appreciate if you could drop the bags in the kitchen."

I turned to see Rosalie staring at me with a mixture of amusement and impatience on her face.

I scowled before turning away from the piano. Reluctantly I followed her through a set of double doors to the kitchen. I vaguely registered the modern appliances and chrome finishes - my mind was still on the piano next door. Setting down the grocery bags on the counter I watched Rosalie take one and make her way up the large staircase in the corner of the kitchen.

"You can wait here or something, I'll be down in a few minutes." She said, before jogging up the stairs.

As soon as she was out of sight I quickly walked back to the living room, or more specifically, the piano. I was just about to sit down on the bench when I heard a door slam shut in the distance. I froze, but relaxed when I heard footsteps heading upstairs.

I slid onto the bench, running my fingers over the keys once again. I reveled in how smooth, how new they were. There was a manuscript on top of the piano, which I now noticed was covered in a fine layer of dust. Obviously it was not played very often, if ever. I picked up the manuscript, flicking through the pages, stopping every so often when I came across a piece I recognised.

I was so immersed in the music notes I did not hear the door creak quietly behind me, and so was startled when I heard the voice.

"Do you play?"

I spun around and came face to face with a man in a police uniform. I panicked for a second, fearing someone had called the cops on me for being in stranger's house, but he didn't look hostile, so I relaxed slightly.

"Yes." I replied, though it sounded more like a question.

The man seemed to sense my uncertainty. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Charlie, Bella's father."

My posture stiffened slightly.

"I just came home to check on Bella - she's got a bit of a temperature," he explained, like I didn't already feel guilty. "and I met Rose upstairs. She said I'd find a teenage boy in my living room fiddling with the piano!" he chuckled, eyeing the instrument behind me.

"Sorry," I looked at him sheepishly, "I'm staying with the Masens for the summer, and they don't own one. I'm afraid I couldn't help myself."

"Ha, Peter never was musical. I remember when Liz brought him to cello lessons…" he smiled, lost in memories, before he remembered I was still in the room. "You can come over and play whenever you like - I wouldn't mind and Renee probably wouldn't even notice…" he laughed again, "God knows _someone _should play it."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I replied eagerly. "Really? You wouldn't mind?" I sounded like a child being offered a trip to Disney Land.

"No of course not, any friend of Bella's is welcome here." He smiled.

I managed to keep the grimace of my face, but only just. The guilt that had tortured me all night came back in full force as I remembered my words to Bella. I hadn't meant for them to come out quite so… _rude. _But they had, and I had probably offended her a great deal. And now her father thought we were friends…

"Thank you, that's very generous."

A silence fell over the two of us before I heard Rosalie coming down the stairs. Thank God.

* * *

Alice was… something else, I'd give her that. She was like one of those jack-in-the-boxes – constantly bouncing up and down in her seat next to Jasper. He was quiet, and even quieter when compared to his girlfriend, and I liked him immediately.

We were sitting in Marty's, a diner somewhere in Phoenix, eating lunch. I felt oddly comfortable; Jasper seemed to calm my nerves as we exchanged words, meaningless conversation about the weather, Phoenix, sports, music. However he was doing it, it worked.

Our food came as the others talked and I observed. Rosalie and Emmett were all over each other, feeding each other food off their forks and laughing at private jokes. Alice and Jasper seemed to have a very interesting relationship dynamic. They weren't as showy as my brother and Rosalie, but from the way Jasper kept looking at the girl next to him I had no doubt about how strong their bond was. I felt like I was intruding on some private moment between them when I saw all the meaningful looks they shared.

In between these looks however, the short black haired pixie-like girl that was Alice was watching my carefully, as if scrutinizing my every action. I felt like I was being judged – like she was looking for something in me and couldn't yet find it. What was she looking for?

After we had eaten the others were planning on going to a movie, but I excused myself, saying I was tired from the night before. They didn't believe a word of course, and I was certain Rosalie knew where I was really going.

It was risky – going to Bella's house while she was there. I knew that. The rational part of my brain was telling me not to go, that she could wake up from her sickness induced slumber at any given moment and catch me in her living room, but I pushed back those thoughts, thinking only of a new composition that had been floating around in my mind for the past week.

The back door was open when I reached it. The living room was empty. This was too good to be true.

I placed my hands on the keys lightly, letting all my worries fade as I concentrated on the piece in my mind. I sighed and closed my eyes, preparing to let the music take over. It did; it seemed to flow through my fingertips and on to the keys as I began playing. I was a completely different person, all pretences gone, only the music left. It filled the air, each note slow, deliberate, filled with emotion. The notes came of their own accord and my fingers had no choice but to follow, they gave into the rhythm with no hesitancy. I played, and played, and played. It wasn't until the last note ended that I realized I was not alone.

Perfect.

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**Review? Uhm, how about the rest of my Nutella this time? Spoon provided? Anyway, please please let me know what you thought of this chapter!  
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	6. Sickness and Then Some

**A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been kind of busy. Oh and who loves Coldplay's new album?  
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**This chapter is from **_**Bella's**_** point of view. I decided to put this in here so you can get some insight into Bella's life, how she's feeling, some history, etc.**

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Sickness and Then Some

**BPOV**

I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move out of… what was it, shock? Shocked at seeing _him _in my house_. _Shocked at seeing him so… relaxed, so at ease. The frustration that usually occupied his features – gone.

It seemed to take him an age to turn around. Something in the back of my head was telling me I should leave before he finally faced me, but I knew it would do no good. He knew someone was in the room, listening to him play, and I might as well – excuse the pun – face the music.

I kept my face as impassive as I could when our eyes eventually met. Something seemed to flicker between us in those seconds our eyes were locked. Was it really only seconds? It felt like years. I could get lost in his eyes, those brilliant green eyes, so unlike any others.

I took a moment to study his face, memorizing every detail, from the way his lips curved downwards slightly in a frown to the exact shape of his eyebrows. He was impeccably beautiful, of course, but I tried not to dwell on this fact too much.

Finally I looked down, slightly abashed that I had been staring for so long. He must have noticed.

"Bella," my head snapped up at hearing him speak. I would have a creak in it later. "I want to… _apologize _for my behavior last night,"

Well, I certainly hadn't expected that to come out of his mouth.

"It was very rude of me." He finished, watching my face for some emotion. All he would have seen was the slight furrowing of my eyebrows in confusion.

"But you meant what you said." I concluded.

His face betrayed shock for only a moment before the carefully composed mask replaced it. He didn't reply and I knew I was right.

I stayed there for another minute, looking at my watch, the ceiling, the bookshelf in the corner, anything to avoid looking at Edward, before turning around and heading out the door and upstairs without a backward glance.

Only when I reached the safety of my room did I allow the tears to escape. Whenever I got angry I cried, a trait I was sure I had picked up from my eccentric mother, and now was no exception.

Except I wasn't mad.

I wasn't sure why I was so upset over Edward. I had known him less than two days, no time at all, but for some reason his rejection had stung. I couldn't understand what I had done to annoy him and he obviously wasn't going to tell me.

Emmett wasn't much help either. I knew he must have said something to Rose, but she was feigning ignorance – badly. She had been dropping tantalizing hints all morning, none of which I could even begin to decipher.

What was it about Edward that drove me into such confusion? What made him such an enigma? It was so unlike me to be flustered over something like this. I didn't have much time for dating or anything of the sort. I had had one major boyfriend when I was fifteen, but only a handful of dates since then. Alice was like cupid, hovering around me whenever an attractive guy would talk to me, hoping I'd say yes if he asked me out.

I was being silly, I concluded, grabbing a tissue from the box beside my bed. I would just have to forget Edward Cullen and His Mysterious Problem With Me. I laughed in spite of myself. It sounded like the title of a children's detective novel.

Getting under the duvet I tried to get him out of my head. He didn't even want to be _friends _with me, so why should I even consider…

_Stop it, Bella. You're getting in over your head._

I groaned before burying my head in my pillow.

"This is insane." I said to no one.

"What's insane, Bella?" Alice's voice startled me – I hadn't even heard her come in.

Reluctantly I lifted my head and looked up at her. She looked rather startled at my appearance – old pyjamas, messy hair, runny nose and red eyes.

"Oh god, what happened?" She sat down on the bed and rubbed my back.

"Nothing." I replied, wiping my eyes in an effort to get rid of any evidence of tears.

"Does this have anything to do with…" she heard my intake of breath, "with… what happened yesterday?" she recovered quickly. Rose had mentioned something obviously.

"No." I had never been a good liar.

Alice face was sad, an unusual expression to see on her normally jovial face. I sighed, knowing confiding in her would be the only way to get her to leave me alone.

"Alice, I'm confused and I have no idea why."

Now _she _was confused. I continued. "I just don't understand how Edward can hate me so much. I've known him for two days and already he's made it clear he doesn't want to be friends. What could I possibly have done?" The tears were threatening to come back; I fought them as best as I could. "And I don't know why it's bothering me so much, why I can't stop thinking about it…"

"Shhhh, Bella. I'm sure you did nothing wrong. It's _his _problem, not yours." She pulled me into a tight hug. "And it's obvious why you can't stop thinking about him..." She released me and I noticed she now had a tiny smile on her face.

"Alice, no. It's not that…"

"Not what?" She was now sporting a grin.

I groaned for the second time this evening. "Not whatever you think it is!"

"All the signs are there, Bella." Alice said almost smugly. "You obviously like – "

I put my fingers in my ears childishly and began humming tunelessly. Alice grabbed my fingers and pulled them out of my ears.

"You. Like. Edward."

"No! I don't even know him!"

"Yes you do! And who cares if you don't know him? Sometimes you're just attracted to a person the first time you meet them, like me and Jazz, for example. It's kind of like… love at first sight!" she was getting excited now. "This is major progress, Bella. Do you realize you haven't liked anybody since you were fifteen? Since Jacob?"

I buried my face, now burning, in my pillow once more.

"It's silly. He hates me."

She sighed and I looked up at her. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Let me sleep, I'm sick. And tired."

She got up from the bed, and after giving me one last hug, departed, leaving me mildly embarrassed – at liking someone so out of my league – and just as confused as before.

Taking a few Tylenol from the large pile of cold and flu medicine Rosalie had brought over earlier, I swallowed them and chugged down a glass of water, praying sleep would come quickly.

* * *

I spent the next couple of days in bed, only getting up to use the bathroom. What had I thought was just a simple cold from getting caught in the rain one too many times had now turned into a full-blown case of the flu. Renee was slightly overreacting, suggesting she take a few days off work to look after me. I insisted there was no point, because I had everything I needed in my room, and I would be asleep most of the day anyway.

Days seemed to pass in a blur of sleep and barely-conscious moments. Once, I could have sworn Charlie had brought Dr. Evans home with him, and when I woke up later that day there was a bottle I hadn't seen before on my bedside table. A note reading "Take 3 spoonfuls twice a day" was attached to it.

It wasn't until the Saturday following my encounter with Edward that I was finally fully recovered and able to get out of bed. After showering, I headed downstairs, intending on making plans to do something with Alice and Rosalie. Apparently they had called on me a few times but I had been asleep.

I opened the refrigerator, hoping to find something nice, and noticed a post-it stuck to the orange juice cartoon I had been about to grab.

_Bella, Meet us outside when you're ready!_

_A and R_

_XOXO_

I snorted, incredulous. Alice and Rose had been my best friends for years, even though Rose was a year older than Alice and I, but they never ceased to amaze me.

I went into the living room and glanced out the French doors. Alice and Rose were sitting on the fence that separated my garden and the Masen's. Excited to see my best friends for the first time in a few days I ran out to meet them. Unfortunately in my haste I tripped over the step leading onto the garden and fell headfirst onto the grass. Boy was I glad it was the grass. The last thing I needed was a cracked skull.

I got up quickly, embarrassed, and headed over to the fence. Alice and Rosalie were doubled over with laughter. I scowled at Rose as she almost fell off the fence in her mirth. When the laughter had finally subsided I coughed.

"If you're both done laughing at my severe lack of coordination I was going to ask you both something." I said thickly.

"And what would that be?" said Alice.

"How long exactly have you been here?" I glanced at my watch; it was half three in the afternoon.

"Oh I don't know… about 10am, was it Rose?" for some reason Rose blushed under Alice's gaze.

I looked between them, confused. "Okay, what happened?"

"Oh nothing really. I got a call from dear Rose this morning asking me to come pick her up… from the Masen's."

I'm sure my eyes bulged out of my sockets. "Rose! You and Emmett… You didn't!"

Her face turned even redder before nodding slightly. I was speechless, but really, I shouldn't have been that surprised. Rose and guys… well, if she found someone she liked then she liked to move things along at a fast pace. However she had very high-standards, ones which few guys actually met.

Rosalie began telling me the full story as I sat on the grass below them, wide-eyed. Apparently Emmett had taken her out twice since I had last seen her, and last night she had went back to his place.

"But… weren't the Masens _there?_" I interrupted, a little shocked.

"No, didn't you hear – oh but you've practically been in a coma for almost four days… Peter has a conference this weekend in Tucson and Liz decided to go too. Emmett had a free house…" she trailed off suggestively. However I was too busy registering one tiny detail to pick up on her tone.

"Wasn't… Wasn't Edward at home?" I asked nervously, fidgeting.

"Oh, well he was, but Emmett said it didn't matter, I could hear music blasting from his room anyway. Worried, were we?" she said smirking.

I blushed and looked down. "Have you seen him a lot? Since I've been sick?"

"Not really. He won't come out with us and Emmett says he's just been moping around the house." Alice said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right."

Alice laughed at my response. "We were thinking of going to see a movie tonight though," she looked pointedly at Rosalie. "Rose and Emmett got us kicked out of the movie theatre last Tuesday."

I couldn't help but laugh at Rosalie's guilty expression.

"Oh shut up, you and Jasper have done worse." Rosalie quipped. Now it was Alice's turn to look guilty.

I decided a topic-change was in order. "Who'll be coming tonight?"

"Well, me, you, Alice, Emmett, and… Edward?" replied Rosalie.

"You don't need to ask my permission." I mumbled.

"Oh thank God, I've already invited him. I'll go let Emmett know you're coming. We'll need to bring two cars." Rosalie hopped off the fence and sauntered across the Masen's back garden.

I turned to Alice. "No matchmaking tonight, okay?"

She gasped dramatically before replying, "Bella, when have I _ever _tried to play matchmaker?" Her expression changed to one I had seen many times. A look that could mean one of two things: either we were going shopping, or Alice had a plan.

What had I gotten myself into?

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**Review, please? They make me so insanely happy! How do chocolate muffins sound?**


	7. Butter

**A/N: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!**

**Thank you to _Jayeliwood _for beta-ing this chapter (and catching a ton of continuity errors and such)!  
**

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Butter

"Tell me again - _why_ are you making me come out with you guys?" I asked for what must have been the millionth time.

"Because, I'm your older brother, and I know that you're sadly lacking a social life here. And Liz bribed me." replied Emmett, who was rubbing a towel through his wet hair.

I ignored his reply, unsurprised that he had been bribed into making me come to tonight. It wasn't the first time it had happened. We were going to see a movie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and I. Something about a city, and sex, or some other moronic concept. Rosalie had chosen it, and Emmett, who seemed to be her personal lapdog these days, had obliged.

As I headed towards my room to take a shower I glanced at my watch – almost four in the afternoon. Before I could stop them, my thoughts drifted to Bella. They had been doing that a lot this week, even though I hadn't seen her since… _Oh god._

Tuesday night played over and over again in my head. It was like a scene from a movie on a scratched DVD. It was never-ending, and I cringed as I neared the end each time. I felt like a child at a pantomime, screaming "She's behind you!" while the lead actor continues on, oblivious.

_How had she seen right through me like that?_ I couldn't help but wonder. When she had looked at me that night, searching my face, I felt as if I was being X-rayed. I felt so transparent around her.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and pushed the bathroom door open. In the shower I concentrated on every tiny chore. I made sure I shampooed for a full minute. I counted the ceiling tiles while I rinsed. I did everything I could to prevent my mind from wandering back to Bella. It did no good of course; there she was, in the back of my mind. What was she doing right now? Was she still sick in bed?

_Was she alright?_

I almost gasped out loud as that thought popped into my head. Since when did I care if she was alright? I shouldn't care. _Why did I care?_

I stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around my waist, just as the back door slammed. Intrigued, I peaked through the small window blind. My bathroom window overlooked the back garden, so I had a perfect view of the scene below me.

Rosalie was strolling across the yard, waving at someone in the distance. Before I could look to see who she was waving at I heard her shouting.

"Oh, Al-ice!" she sang, as my eyes followed the direction in which she was heading. There, sitting on the fence was Alice, and below her, sitting on the grass, was Bella. I immediately stepped away from the window – seeing her only brought back the guilt.

I grabbed another towel from the rack and rubbed my hair roughly – it would be a mess no matter what I did with it – before heading back to my room the get changed. The movie didn't start until seven, but we were going to get a bite to eat first at Marty's.

Pulling on my jeans I glanced through the gap in my curtains. Bella, Alice and Rosalie were still outside by the fence. I noticed that Bella was dressed, and didn't look ill at all.

Wait, that meant…

"Edward!"

I groaned before grabbing a shirt and following my brother's voice downstairs. I found him in the living room, hunched over, holding what looked to be…

"Jesus, Emmett! What the hell?"

"What?" he turned around to face me "I can't remember which flavor Rose said she liked best." He was examining the small packets in his hands closely. "What do you think, strawberry or chocolate?"

"Emmett, I do _not _need to know what flavor condom your girlfriend likes best!"

"_You _don't, but _I _do!" he turned back to the condoms in his hand as I grimaced, remembering how little sleep I had gotten the previous night. I made a mental note to buy headphones for my stay here. Speakers were simply not enough.

"Just… put them away, will you?" I snapped. This conversation was making me highly uncomfortable.

A cheeky grin appeared on his face then, his dilemma momentarily forgotten, "Jeez, Edward, just because you're a _virgin _doesn't mean you have to be such a prude. You know, I'd be more than willing to teach you how to pick up chi – "

"Emmett!"

"Fine, but the offers there…" he trailed off and I used the opportune silence to ask him about my recent revelation.

"Er- Who did you say was coming tonight?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't notice my anxious tone.

"Rose, Jasper, Alice and Bella. We're going to have to take two cars." He replied, stuffing both packets in his pocket.

Internally I groaned, praying this night would go better than Monday's disastrous meal had.

"When are we leaving?" I asked, while pulling my shirt over my head.

"_We, _as in, Rose and I, are leaving in two hours. _You, _who will be riding with Jasper, Alice and Bella, are leaving in one."

I opened my mouth to argue but he beat me to it. "Do you _really _want to be in the same car as me and Rose, Eddie?"

_No, definitely not._

I huffed anyway before thumping back up to my room. Instinctively I looked out my window again, searching for the girls, but they were gone. I frowned – where had they gone? _Where had __**she **__gone?_

I cringed again and began hitting my head off the wall in an effort to rid my mind of Bella. Why couldn't I get her out of head? Was it guilt? It had to be, it wasn't as if I _liked _her. I didn't know her, it would be impossible. And pointless; very pointless. I couldn't deal with a relationship right now. There wasn't even any point in making friends here - I'd be leaving in less than 3 months for college.

And yet, as I stepped away from the wall with a pounding head, I couldn't help thinking; maybe I _did _want to make friends here. Maybe I _did _want to be friends with Bella. Being friends couldn't be that bad. I couldn't get my heart broken just from being friends…

_No, no, no, no…_

I was going in circles.

* * *

The Volvo glided quietly into the Swan's drive. Jasper was in the passenger seat next to me; we were picking up Alice and Bella. I wondered why they didn't just meet us at the Masen's, but Jasper said he was on strict orders from Alice - we had to pick them up.

As soon as the car came to a halt Jasper was out of the car and ringing the doorbell. I sighed and got out of the car with more reluctance. I went to go stand beside Jasper, who was on the porch, his hands in his pockets. I glanced at him furtively. He was the picture of ease. I, however, was overcome with anxiety. I didn't understand my nervousness, and the fact that this felt like a double date was not helping.

Finally, the door swung open to reveal Alice, dressed in a sailor outfit, who immediately jumped at Jasper. He caught her naturally and kissed her forehead. I couldn't help the pang of jealousy I felt – Tanya and I had never embraced like that.

I was so busy watching Alice and Jasper's exchange that I did not notice her at the door. I should have. When I turned around and saw her all I could think was that I _really _should have.

Bella was dressed in a simple dress, short, floral pattern, paired with even simpler black flats, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Her hair fell in loose curls past her shoulder, and her eyes, as deep as ever, were framed by the longest lashes I had ever seen. Her full lips were blood red, and when I saw her bite them, my jaw dropped.

Her eyes met mine for the first time in days, and that same spark flickered between us. But this time it was different. There was something else there tonight.

She tore her gaze away from me and I was sorry for it. So sorry, in fact, that I continued to stare at her, not realizing someone was calling my name.

"Earth to Edward… Hello?" Alice was waving a hand in front of my face, obscuring Bella from view. Immediately I snapped out of my daze and got into the car without a word. Once inside I cupped my face in my hands, breathing heavily. The glass was tinted; they wouldn't be able to see.

What the hell had come over me? Why couldn't I stop staring? What was that emotion I had felt when she had bitten her lip?

_Lust._

I growled in frustration with myself. And with Bella. Why did she have to look so… _tempting?_ I couldn't hide it anymore. I had feelings for her – that much was obvious. My main concern was what I was going to do about them.

The back door opened and I heard Alice whispering something to someone. Jasper got into the car, but the whispering continued, so I knew she must have been talking to Bella.

"How long, Edward?" I turned around to see Jasper looking at me curiously.

"What?"

"How long have you liked Bella?"

"I – I don't…" I stammered in reply. Was he a mind reader or something?

He chuckled and bent down to fasten his seat belt. "Dude, you couldn't have been more obvious if your eyes had popped out of your head."

I didn't know how to reply so I simply turned around and started the engine.

The girls, still in hissed conversation, noticed this and immediately hopped into the car, Alice looking annoyed over something. Bella sat in the front seat, previously occupied by Jasper, and began fidgeting as we drove off. I gritted my teeth to keep from saying anything to her. I exhaled deeply, causing her to glance in my direction. I met her eyes again, and only when she blinked did I finally turn back to the road. The tension between us was too much to take.

I had it bad.

The drive to Marty's was torture. The silence unbearable. Even Alice was quiet, and I caught her looking at Bella and I through the rear-view mirror. Finally, the small café came into view and I pulled into the first parking space I saw.

The place wasn't overly busy – lunchtime rush had ended hours ago. We slid into a booth, Jasper on my right, Bella and Alice facing us. We ordered milkshakes and they had just arrived when Emmett and Rose came running through the door, panting. Emmett's hair was standing on end, and Rosalie's shirt was buttoned wrong. Jasper smirked at the pair while Alice bit her lip to keep from laughing. I looked over at Bella who I still hadn't said a word to this evening. She was nervously trailing her finger along the rim of her glass.

Emmett slid in beside me while Rosalie sat beside Bella. He had a silly grin on his face – one similar to the smile Rosalie was trying to fight back. It didn't take a genius to work out why they were late.

"Rose, _strawberry_ milkshake, yes?" said Emmett, his grin widening.

I closed my eyes, cringing just thinking about our earlier conversation.

"Oh _now _you remember…" I heard Rosalie say, and I could imagine her mock scowl.

"Edward looks like he's in pain." mused Alice, and my eyes snapped open. She was looking at me curiously, head cocked to the side.

I glared at Emmett but he didn't even have the decency to look guilty. Instead, he continued to grin with an air of smugness. I shook my head in disbelief.

We stayed in Marty's for a long time, so long in fact, that the waitresses were getting rather annoyed with us. Eventually, after Emmett had knocked back his 4th milkshake we departed the café. I left a generous tip on the table.

It took me only 10 minutes to find the movie theater, Jasper giving me directions from the seat behind. I pulled in and Alice hopped out almost immediately, dragging Bella out with her. She muttered something about "girl talk" before the door slammed shut.

I turned to look at Jasper, eyebrows raised. "Do I even want to know?"

"No, I don't think so. Ignorance is always best in these situations; trust me." He replied, patting me on the shoulder before getting out of the car.

Emmett and Rosalie were already seated when we made our way into the crowded theater. The lights had already gone out and the previews were running. Bella and Alice still hadn't returned from their "talk". _What the hell were they talking about?_ Before I had time to ponder this further the pair appeared at the entrance, only their silhouettes visible in the dark room. I glanced quickly around me and noticed that while Emmett was beside me on the left hand side, the seat on my right was empty. Jasper had chosen to sit in the one next to it instead. Oh crap.

The girls made their way down the aisle to where we were seated, and Alice slid straight into the seat to the right of Jasper. I looked up to see Bella with a look of indecision on her face. She looked awkward, almost afraid, and I knew exactly why; the only seat left was beside me.

I took a deep breath before gesturing to the seat next to me, "Bella, would you like to sit here?"

Five heads turned in my direction - mouths wide open - including Bella. She was looking at me with such a shocked expression on her face that for a moment I thought that she had had a stroke. Everyone's eyes were on us, darting back and fourth between our faces, waiting for Bella's response. She regained her composure quickly however, mumbling a "Yes, thank you." before she sat down next to me.

Our friends continued to shoot incredulous looks at the two of us (except for Alice, who hadn't at all seemed nonplussed by the situation) until finally the opening credits began, and they turned to watch the movie. I relaxed, glad to be free of their stares, and felt Bella do the same beside me.

I stared at the screen, not seeing it at all. I seemed to be in a daze. I couldn't focus on anything except Bella sitting just a few inches from me. She was using neither armrest, hands instead clutching a bucket of popcorn close to her chest. I used this time in the dark to study her face, find out why I found her so appealing. The light from the screen danced across her features, her eyes almost sparkling. I watching her reactions to the movie carefully, memorizing every smile, every gasp, every eyebrow raise. For me there was nothing on that screen. There was only this girl beside me, who had me completely hooked.

I had to look quickly away when I thought she had noticed my staring of course. This happened a few times throughout the film, yet I couldn't help but continue my inspection when her attention had returned to the screen.

We were half way through the film (I guessed, since I wasn't actually paying attention) when it happened. Emmett nudged me, and whispered in my ear, "If you're done staring at her will you ask if she'll pass me her popcorn?" Internally I cursed for being so damn obvious, and turned to Bella.

"My brother wants to know if he can have some of your popcorn." I said quietly. I was nervous, speaking to her while she was in such close proximity, but I fought the urge to run when she turned to me. Silently she passed me the bucket, which I then gave to Emmett. He scooped a handful of buttery popcorn out before passing the now half-empty tub back to me.

Feeling Bella's gaze on my back I turned and held out the tub for her to take. She reached out, and in that moment, when our hands touched, I felt some sort of current run through me, almost like I had stuck a fork into a socket. We both quickly removed our hands, both feeling as if we had been scalded, and the popcorn bucket went tumbling to the ground. Popcorn spilled everywhere, including all over Bella and I, leaving us both a buttery mess.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" she muttered frantically, hurrying to clean up the mess. She was trying to pick up all the popcorn that had fallen, while simultaneously trying to clean the butter of her dress.

"It's fine, Bella." I whispered, bending down so she could hear me. She was on the floor now, reaching under her seat for stray pieces.

"We're – we're covered in butter. I'm sorry, I've ruined your shirt…" She whispered back, looking up at me like a deer caught in headlights.

Was she _scared _of me?

As this realization came crashing down on me I knew what had to be done.

I reached down and grasped her arm, this time ignoring the shock that went through me when we touched. Gently I pulled her up, getting up from the seat myself. I led her out onto the aisle, trying to pretend I couldn't feel our friends staring at us as we left.

When we reached the lobby I let go of her and spun around to face her.

She wasn't looking at me. In fact, she wasn't looking at anything. Her eyes were shut, and she was breathing deeply, almost as if to calm herself.

However her eyes fluttered open at my next words.

"Bella, I've been an absolute bastard."

"What?"

"I – I've been taking all of this… all of my… problems… out on you."

"I – "

"No, listen. This…" I struggled to find the right words. "The way I've been acting… you didn't do anything wrong. And, I'm sorry if I made you feel like you did. That was not my intention."

She gaped at me, unable to speak. I continued on.

"I came to Phoenix to escape something, or more specifically, some_one. _And, when we met I felt…" I closed my eyes, mimicking Bella's earlier breathing. "I don't hate you, Bella. _How could I?_" I muttered the last part to myself, but I knew she heard.

"Bella," I was whispering now, and I took a step towards her. "Please forgive me. I take it back. I take it all back. I'll understand if you don't want to, after the jerk I've been, but can we please just… start over? Be… be…" I paused, trying to gauge her reaction. I'm sure my face was full of desperation now, and I prayed she wouldn't completely crush me. "Can we please be friends?"

Her brown eyes seemed to smolder in the poorly lit lobby. The deep pools were filled with an emotion I didn't recognize; they gave me no clues as to what her response would be.

Finally, after a few tortuous seconds, she leaned forward and whispered,

"Okay."

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**So, was this what you guys wanted? Since I'll probably be asked this; no they are not "together" at this point. They are agreeing to be friends. I have some plans though ;)**

**Review and tell me your opinions! Please? (yes, I'm actually resorting to begging). I never understood how important reviews were until I started writing this. Honestly, it gives me such an elated feeling when I open my inbox and find so many people like my story. When I read reviews I get this weird urge to write the next chapter as soon as possible. Seriously, they mean so much to me, and I do read every single one!**


	8. Interrogations

**A/N: Okay, so I should probably explain why I haven't updated in so long, but I'll do that at the end. Instead I'll say; I'm not happy with this chapter. I had a lot of trouble with it because it's mostly dialogue and it's not very exciting, but it needed to be done so I could move on in the story. So I'm sorry about that. Secondly, it's very short, I'm sorry! I could have added more but I wanted this part to be on its own because it just didn't fit with the next chapter ;P And THIRDLY, there's probably a billion mistakes because I didn't even have time to proof read it and it hasn't been beta-ed. Mostly because I just want to get this out as fast as possible. I promise the next one will be better!**

**Also, this is dedicated to my friend Nikita, who I wish wouldn't read this ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

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Interrogations

The week that followed was… interesting, to say the least. Things were not perfect between Bella and I – far from it – but it was certainly an improvement from the pervious week.

All of us – Bella, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and I – spent most days together, not to mention most nights. On the nights when Bella and Rosalie had to work we would eat at their restaurant, keeping them company. Rose certainly didn't object to spending more time with Emmett. Now that they were officially a "couple" they were inseparable. I envied my brother slightly for being able to jump into relationships so quickly.

Bella and I still had our awkward moments, but as I got to know her more and more those moments came much less often. We were thrown together so much that I found myself spending the majority of my time with her – something I'm sure neither of us had expected.

One evening I found myself sitting alone in the Masen's garden, reading. It felt unusual to be by myself; I had become accustomed to having so many people around me. Alice had dragged Jasper shopping and they were planning on heading back to her house afterwards. I had quickly learned to keep my opinions on shopping to myself around Alice. How such a tiny girl could make so much noise was beyond me. Rose was working tonight, and Emmett, as infatuated as he was, had tagged along as usual. I hadn't seen Bella all day, and I found that I missed her company.

I shook my head, trying to suppress the small smile that formed on my face every time I thought of her. How different things were now, I thought to myself. So much had changed in such a short space of time.

I looked up from my book when I heard a twig snap. Making her way over to me from her backyard was the very person I couldn't get out my head. She smiled timidly when she noticed my gaze and I returned it sheepishly.

"Hi," said Bella breathlessly when she was two feet away.

"Hi," I breathed, never tearing my eyes from her face. It was always like this; our greetings. One little word meant so much. It meant a truce, it meant friendship, and it meant forgetting our shaky start.

"Do you want to sit with me?" I asked. Gesturing to the empty garden chair beside me.

She nodded and sat down, resting her head against the cushions. Her long hair was down and part of it fell over the back of the chair. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through it.

"How are you?" she asked, eyes searching my face.

"Fine. You?"

"I'm great…" she paused, as if wanting to say something else. She took a deep breath. "Edward?"

"Hm?"

"What are your parents like?"

Her question surprised me. I stared into the distance, watching the setting sun disappear behind the horizon.

"My parents? They're… they're great. Esme and Carlisle, they're really _really_ great. They put up with so much from me. My mom is one of the most loving people I've ever met. My dad – I'm constantly learning from him. Without even realizing it – or maybe he does, I'm not sure – he's always teaching me something. Now don't get me wrong," I chuckled "They drive me absolutely insane sometimes. But… I know they only do it because they care." I looked up at Bella, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Why do you ask?"

"I feel like I know nothing about you." She shrugged.

"You've been getting to know me for the past week." I pointed out.

"Oh I know the simple things…" she scoffed. "How old you are, where you grew up, who your favorite power ranger was…" she smiled. "But I don't… I don't know _Edward._ I have no idea what you're into you, what kind of music you listen to, what you want to do when you're older, what your favorite book is…" she trailed off and glanced at the cover of the book I was reading. "_The Goldbug Variations_? Any good?"

I smiled, "I don't know yet, I'm only on chapter three."

I pondered her comment for a moment. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll ask a question about you, you'll ask a question about me… and we'll take it in turns."

"You have to be a hundred percent honest though." She replied with a meaningful gaze.

She really could see right through me.

"We each have two vetoes then." I countered.

Bella raised one eyebrow before finally nodding in agreement.

"Fine. I'll go first then, will I?" she asked softly.

I nodded.

"Favorite color?" she asked simply.

I raised my eyebrows but answered "Green."

She nodded and I knew it was my cue to ask her a question.

"Favorite food?"

"Lasagne. Or anything Italian really." She grinned before thinking of her next question.

"What do you want to be when you're older?"

"A musician. I want to play piano," I answered automatically. "Well, that's the dream. My dad's always telling me I should have something to fall back on though. He's right I suppose," I shrugged. "Playing piano is hardly going to have steady income."

I looked up at Bella, who, surprisingly, had an expression of pure fascination on her face. "Your dad's a doctor, right? He didn't want to you to "follow in his footsteps"?"

I shrugged, "He's supportive of whatever I choose."

It could have just been the light, or even my imagination but I could have sworn I saw a wishful smile grace her features. "It's your turn to ask one." She finally said.

"Same question you asked me."

She cringed and looked away from me. "Can I veto this one? It's too embarrassing."

"Oh come on," I laughed. "It can't be _that _bad. Besides, who knows what I might ask later… You might need your vetoes…" I grinned playfully.

"Fine." Sighed Bella. "I – I want to be a writer…" she mumbled almost incoherently.

"Why is that embarrassing?" I asked, utterly confused.

"Because it'll never happen. I'm not very good and it's impossible to get published these days."

"And your parents don't approve." I deduced.

"No. Not really. Well, my mom more than my dad. Charlie says I can "be whatever I want to be". My mom is a different story. She wants me to become a teacher. She teaches atthe local elementary school. She can't see why I don't want to do the same. She thinks I should just settle for a "safe" job." She smiled, no happiness present. "She doesn't really understand. I love my mom, I do. But she can be close-minded about some things. A lot of things, actually." she finished thoughtfully.

"Like what?" I asked, curious.

"Marriage. Dating before you're thirty-five." she snorted.

"Ah, so I take it she doesn't approve when you dates home?"

She flushed red at this. "Nope, not answering. That counts as another question. My turn." She sat up straighter in her seat and leaned forward slightly. "Why did you come here for the summer?"

My grin faded. "Veto."

She seemed to notice the sudden change in my demeanour because she didn't push the subject. However her question sparked some curiosity in me. "Do you date a lot?"

She blushed and looked down. I could tell she was considering using a veto. "Not really," She mumbled, embarrassed. "I had a sort-of-serious boyfriend when I was fiteen, but I haven't dated much since. I've never found anyone I've clicked with, you know?"

I nodded in agreement; only realising how true her statement was at that particular moment. Had I really clicked with Tanya? _No, _a tiny voice inside my head said.

"Yeah." I replied, still thinking about this recent revelation. Did Tanya and I even have anything in common? Did she even treat me as anything other than her taxi driver?

"Hello, earth to Edward?" called Bella, waving a hand in front of my face. "Sorry to wake you, but I have my next question ready."

And so it continued. We asked each other about everything. From school to music, from books to politics, from our families to vacations we'd been on – everything.

I felt oddly comfortable around Bella – like I could tell her about anything. Anything except my relationship with Tanya of course. There was no need to drag her into it. It would be pointless.

That's what I tried to tell myself anyway. Truthfully, I was in two minds about whether I should come clean or not. Part of me knew it was wrong keeping it from her, while the other part, the part currently in the lead, told me to keep quiet.

Bella had one veto left, having used one when asked about her most embarrassing moment as a child. I also had one left, having used none since her question about why I had come to Phoenix in the first place.

"Okay, what was _your _most embarrassing moment as a child?" said Bella, grinning. She was more relaxed than I had ever seen her.

"Lets just say it involved a few "friends" in my class, a Valentines Day card, and my fourth grade teacher." I replied, laughing.

"Oh you can't just leave me with that! What happened?"

"Well, these so called "friends" of mine sent a Valentines Day card to our, might I add, very pretty fourth grade teacher, signing my name at the bottom." I shook my head, chuckling. "She called me back after class and, thinking I was in love with her, decided to explain about why we "couldn't happen". It was awful; she kept talking about how I was a "lovely young man" but that she just wasn't right for me. I had to stand there and listen while she patted me on the shoulder, feeling sorry for me." I shivered at the thought. "It wouldn't have been so bad if her husband wasn't the principal."

"No!" Bella gasped, hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

"I'm guessing she mentioned something at home because the next day I was called into his office. I don't remember exactly what he said, I was too busy trying not to die of embarrassment, but I think it had a lot to do with fish… and babies."

By this time Bella could no longer hide her amusement. She was bent over, clutching her side while she shook with laughter.

I lay back in my chair, waiting for her laughter to subside. When it finally did she straightened up, biting her lip. "Okay, sorry, I swear I'm done."

I didn't mind too much, she was adorable when she laughed. I bit my own lip to prevent myself from voicing this thought.

The questioning went on for what must have been hours. I hadn't noticed the sky gradually turning black until she pointed it out.

"Wow," she said, glancing at her watch. "We've been talking for nearly four hours. Look." She pointed to something in the sky.

I followed her gaze until I was met with the sight of a full moon. I was about to comment on this when the sound of a door slamming interrupted me.

"EDWARD ANTHONY CULLEN, GET IN HERE NOW!" shouted a high-pitched voice. Both Bella and I turned our heads sharply in the direction of the voice.

Alice Brandon was standing outside the French doors of the Masen's house. And she did not look happy.

"I think you're in trouble." Said Bella, getting up and patting my shoulder. The knowing look on her face made me instantly wary.

"Think it's too late to run?" I asked, only half kidding. Getting up I followed Bella over to Alice, who upon seeing us up strolled inside, leaving the doors open behind her.

When we reached the kitchen I was surprised to find the entire group gathered there. Emmett was leaning against the counter, one arm behind Rosalie who was perched on top of the marble. Jasper was seated on a chair beside the table, and seeing me come in shook his head in a way that said, "It was nice knowing you, buddy."

"You screamed, Alice?" I asked her calmly when she turned round to face me.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday in two days?" spat Alice. "This leaves me absolutely no time to plan anything! Do you not _want _to have a party?"

"Not particularly, no." I had to admit; I was a tiny bit afraid. The little pixie's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, and at my comment her jaw dropped.

"What did you say?" she seethed.

"Rookie mistake." I heard Rosalie whisper to Emmett.

"Alice I don't want any fuss. I don't need a party." I replied.

Alice's face immediately softened, her eyes losing their menacing appearance. She stepped towards me and snaked an arm around my waist.

"Edward," she said, smiling. "If you didn't want a party," her smile grew wider. "You became friends with the wrong person."

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**So yeah, that's that! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon (and it will be better, I swear). The reason this took 3 weeks (apart from the fact that I'm a horrible person) is because I was on in Italy for a week and then at a 3 day music festival straight afterwards. Then I was working everyday this week and literally had no time to do anything. I had planned on updating the night before I went but I just wasn't able to write anything :P If anyone wants a detailed (ish) account of my holiday/3 days at Oxegen (music festival) head over to my livejournal ;P There's a link in my profile.**

**Oh and BTW, I'm reading _The Goldbug Variations _at the moment, which is why I put that in. I'm only on about chapter three, though, like Edward ;P It's good so far though, so you should read it.**

**So uh, even though this is sucky - review? Please? I got so many for the last chapter!**


	9. Inevitable

**A/N: Yeah, not happy with this chapter either. I knew what I wanted to happen but that doesn't mean it was easy to write. Oh well.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

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_"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable_"

Inevitable

The morning of my birthday – my nineteenth – dawned bright and sunny. Exactly the opposite of how I felt. I groaned as the sunlight shone through my curtains and into my eyes, making further sleep impossible. I would have to get up and face everyone soon. I couldn't hide out in my room all day.

Alice had been wrong. Apparently two days had been plenty of time to plan a party. In fact, it had been _less _than two days, since Emmett had only informed her of my birthday on Wednesday evening. I was only partly aware of her plans, but I knew they were going to be ridiculously over the top and extravagant. I had known Alice only a short period of time, but those were definitely terms I would use to describe her and her ideas.

It wasn't that I didn't _like _birthdays, it was just I didn't see the point in making a big deal out of them. Why should people have to buy other people gifts just for being born? It's hardly a skill spent years mastering. There was no need for gifts. Of course, no one would listen when I tried to explain my philosophy on the subject. Alice especially, since she was too busy looking for gift-wrap.

I slowly got out of bed, knowing the sooner I went down, the sooner I could get away. I shuffled downstairs, still in my pyjamas, and was immediately greeted with "Happy Birthday!" I looked up to find the Masens and my group of friends sitting at the table all grinning like crazy people. My eyes narrowed when I noticed the small pile of presents resting on the table.

"Mhm." I mumbled, hoping they'd ignore the day if I did.

"Oh don't get too excited, Edward, you might just explode from happiness." Said Rosalie disapprovingly.

"Yeah c'mon, don't be a grouch. Open your presents!" exclaimed Emmett as if he were a small child on Christmas morning.

"I told you not to get me anything." I groaned, making my way over to them. Liz got up to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before making her way over to the stove.

"I made you pancakes, dear. I called Esme and she said strawberry's your favorite." She grinned, flipping something in the pan.

"Thank you, Liz, but there's really no – "

"Open mine first!" called Alice, beaming. Did she have ADHD or something?

I groaned once more before accepting the gift she was shoving in front of me.

"I've known you guys less than three weeks, why would you bother getting me gifts?" I said, unwrapping the paper slowly.

"Just shut up and open it." Laughed Bella, who had been silent up until this point.

I did as she said, reluctantly, and opened the present. Inside was a black gift box. Internally I sighed; knowing Alice, it was going to be very expensive. It was no secret that Alice's family were wealthy. Her bright yellow Porsche was pretty hard to miss.

I opened the box slowly…

"You bought me a Rolex?" I exclaimed. "Jesus Christ, Alice!"

"Do you like it?" said Alice, bouncing in her seat. Peter chuckled beside me. "It's from Jasper too."

"I can't accept this!" I said, still staring at the silver watch. My family were also wealthy, so I often received expensive gifts, but from someone I barely knew?

"You can, and you will." Replied Alice.

"I wouldn't argue if I were you…" interjected Jasper wisely.

"I… well, thank you, Alice, Jasper." I said lightly, shaking my head in disbelief.

Alice beamed in response.

Next was Emmett's gift. He handed me a white envelope that I eyed cautiously before opening.

"Emmett…" I said, using my "warning" voice. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to calm myself.

"Yes, dear brother?" replied Emmett innocently.

"A year's subscription to Playboy, _really?_"

"Actually it's only six months… did you want a year?" he inquired earnestly.

"Why would you – How could you possibly think - " I was speechless. I tried again. "When have I ever said I would like a subscription to Playboy?"

"You didn't _need _to say it, bro. I just knew you'd appreciate it." He smirked and I fought the heat that was making its way to my cheeks.

I decided it was time to move on to Rosalie's gift, which turned out to be concert tickets. I was pleasantly surprised – out of everyone in the group, we argued the most - and thanked Rose gratefully. She nodded in acknowledgement.

I was passed Bella's gift next. I opened it tentatively, feeling her eyes on me as I slid a leather-bound book from the gift-wrap. I flipped it over to see a title in gold lettering – _Piano Music._

Eagerly I opened the book, and was met with a handwritten note on the first page.

_For the music you love to play and for the music I know you can write. Happy Birthday, Edward._

_Bella._

On the next page was a list of contents. I scanned through it, my grin growing as I moved further and further down the list. All of my favourite pieces from my favorite composers were here. I flicked through the book, noting the fancy gold-leaf paper each composition was printed on. As I neared the end I stopped at an almost blank page. Only a single line was scrawled across this page, in the same handwriting as before.

_After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music_.

The next few pages were all blank – I was supposed to fill them with my _own _music. I finally looked up at Bella, mouth wide open.

I didn't know what to say. How had she managed to choose the most perfect gift for me? We had spent a long time discussing music – we shared our favorites of just about every genre – but how had she gotten this done in two days?

Everyone's eyes were on me, including Bella's. The silence dragged on before Bella blurted out, "If you don't like it it's okay." She said in a hurry.

I finally broke out of my daze. "I… Bella, this is…. This is amazing. Thank you so much." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Her face broke into the picture of relief while everyone round the table passed the book around, ooing and aweing at how much effort had gone into it.

I continued to look at Bella curiously, long after she had looked away. Why had she gotten me such an amazing gift? I had been horrible to her, but here she was, giving me _this. _How could someone be _so _forgiving? She was unlike anyone I had ever met; that was for certain.

* * *

"The black shirt, Edward. It _has _to be the black shirt." Said Alice, sighing as she laid out clothes on my bed.

"Alice I'm eighteen – no, _nine_teen years old, I can dress myself." I replied, exasperated.

"I know that, but I can dress you _well._" She said absentmindedly. "Now, these jeans, I think…" she pulled a pair of jeans from my closet. "Yes, this will go perfect. And wear _three _buttons open on the shirt. That's important." Said Alice, as if she were revealing some important secret.

"Three? Why does it matter?" I asked, bemused.

"Because four is too many and two is just not enough. Now hurry up and get dressed. People are already starting to arrive!" with this she hurried out of my room, muttering something about part favors.

I shook my head at my tiny friend, wondering if she picked out all Jasper's clothes for him. I chuckled to myself and reminded myself to ask him later.

I threw on the clothes she had picked out, chancing a look in the mirror. I groaned as I ran a hand through my perpetually messy bronze hair. No matter how much I combed it it never sat flat. Deciding I was fighting a losing battle I headed downstairs to face the music.

The party was in full swing by the time I made my way to the backyard. Lights had been strung everywhere, weaved between branches of the few trees in the garden. Music was being blasted out through large speakers towards the end of the garden. All around me people were dancing and laughing – in general, having a good time.

I recognized no one – how would I? These were people from Bella and Alice's class at highschool – the graduating class of 2008. Still, a few girls glanced my way as I brushed past them in an effort to find my friends. I ignored them, pretending I didn't see the "seductive" smiles they were shooting in my direction. I never understood the attraction I apparently held for members of the opposite sex.

Eventually, much to my relief, I spotted Jasper near the refreshments table.

"Wow, I'm so glad all my _close _friends could make it tonight," I said sarcastically, glancing around the sea of moving bodies. The music was pulsing in my ear drums and I had to shout over it to be heard.

Jasper laughed before slapping me on the shoulder. "Some of these kids aren't bad."

"Kids? You're a year older than them, Jasper."

"Ah, but I'm in college. That makes a huge difference." He passed me a cup. "Beer or punch?"

"Are Liz and Peter coming tonight?" I inquired.

"No… I don't think so. They're cool about Alice throwing the party."

"A beer then." I said, holding out my cup. I didn't drink often, but I saw no harm in doing it in moderation. _Besides, _I thought to myself, _alcohol may be the only way I'm going to survive tonight._

"Edward! There you are!" I saw Alice pushing her way through the mass of bodies to get to us. "Are you hiding?" she eyed me suspiciously.

"No…" I mumbled, trying to come up with a distraction.

"Good, because I was thinking we should announce that you're here, you know?"

"Help me…" I whispered to Jasper.

"Alice, will you ask that guy where he got his shoes? I think I'd like a pair…" asked Jasper smoothly.

Alice's ears perked up and she grabbed Jasper's arm. "Where? Show me, Jazz." She said before pulling him away.

"You. Owe. Me." Mouthed Jasper before he was swallowed by the large crowd.

Before I could do anything else I heard the sound of Bella's voice behind me.

"He's right you know – you do owe him. She'll probably want to take him shopping now." She said without a trace of humor.

I smiled in reply. "Is shopping with Alice really that bad?"

"You have no idea." She shivered before suddenly looking around her. "You don't know anybody here, do you?"

I shook my head.

"I guess you're not having a good time then."

"Well I wouldn't say that – "

"Hey, no need to lie to me, I didn't plan the party." Shrugged Bella.

"Yes, all you did was give me an amazing gift."

She blushed crimson. "I couldn't think of what else to get you, you're impossible to buy for… and you were saying you had been writing bits and pieces…. It's no big deal, really."

"No, it is, it's perfect. I love it, I really do." I replied slowly, choosing my words carefully.

Her face colored again. "Do you want to get out of here?"

I raised my eyebrows at her sudden subject change. "Won't Alice decapitate us?"

"She won't notice us gone – Jasper's an expert at distracting Alice, which is no mean feet, let me tell you."

I grinned. "Where did you have in mind?"

* * *

The walk was a short one. How such a quaint, peaceful place could exist so close by without my knowing was beyond me. Bella had brought me to a meadow, just five minutes walk from the Masen's house. We didn't technically follow the _road _(we had to climb a number of fences and cross a field) but I still couldn't fathom how the meadow was such a well-kept secret.

"Most people in this neighborhood spend most of their "outdoors" time in their pools or at the country club playing golf." Explained Bella, when I voiced my confusion.

"And you've never seen anyone else come here?" I inquired, still rather disbelieving.

"Nope." She made the P pop.

I looked around the meadow again – it was small, but it had a certain magical quality to it. The moon, now high in the pitch-black sky, was reflected on the surface of a small stream that trickled nearby. I could just make out forests of wildflowers surrounding the entire meadow from the moonlight.

"I take it that you like it?" said Bella, who was lying on the grass looking up at the sky. If I had thought she was relaxed before, this was nothing compared to how at-ease she looked now.

I lay down beside her before answering. "Yes," I said, looking up at the sky. It was a cloudless night, and we had a perfect view of the stars.

We lay in silence then. I loved how comfortable our silences were now. Long gone were the awkward ones that had lingered in the air before our "truce". I became lost in my own thoughts. So much had changed since I had come here. I had made so many new friends here. That was still a conundrum to me - I had gotten close to them so quickly, I felt like I had known them my whole life. It was unsual - Back home I tended to be reluctant to make new friends. Here everything was different. Perhaps it was the sun, or Emmett's influence... _Or perhaps it's Bella?_ I scowled to myself. Was it Bella that had caused this change in my demeanor? Was she the cause of this new, more outgoing Edward?

_Impossible._

But was it?

I turned my head in Bella's direction and glanced at her face. To my surprise I met two brown eyes looking back at me. I could see the moon inside them.

Was it really so impossible to believe that Bella was bringing out the best in me? I continued to hold her gaze - perhaps a part of me was hoping I would find the answer to my question hidden in her eyes - afraid to look away. All of a sudden the world had frozen around us. The gentle trickle of the stream was extinguished. The faint breeze blowing through the trees disappeared. The only sound I could hear was Bella's heart, going ninety miles an hour. _From the anticipation, _I thought.

We both knew it was coming. Even Bella's _heart _knew what was happening. I leaned in instinctively, never looking away from her eyes. Mine seemed to ask a question that she gladly answered.

"Edward…" her permission came as a whisper, but I heard it perfectly.

My hand found her cheek and I ran my fingers along her cheekbone before cupping her face with my palm. Suddenly I could see every detail of her face, every eyelash as her lids fluttered closed, every contour of her skin, coming closer and closer by the second... My own eyes followed suit and closed, instinctively. Slowly, and ever so gently, I pressed my lips to hers.

What I was _not_ expecting was her response. She nearly gasped when our lips touched; I'm sure she had felt the same shock course through her that I did. Her lips took no time to adjust, they met mine with such force, such _passion_, as her hands made their way to my hair. I felt her running her fingers through it and I nearly moaned into her mouth. I had waited weeks for this. And it was so much better than I had expected.

As she opened her mouth and my tongue found hers, I wrapped my arms around her skinny waist and rolled over, pulling her on top of me. I couldn't think, I couldn't hear, I couldn't breathe, I could only feel. Feel Bella's deliciously soft lips moulded to mine, feel the way her tongue gently caressed mine, feel her passion, matched only by mine…

Who knew where this could lead?

As soon as that thought, the first since the kiss began, popped into my head I pulled away, gasping for air.

I looked back at Bella, and I knew I must have had a terrified expression on my face. What had I just done?

I lifted her off me, and got up quickly. "We can't do this." I said, still panting. She looked back up at me with a surprised expression on her face. And what was that in her eyes – hurt?

"I'm sorry." I whispered, still looking down on her sitting on the grass.

"What – " she started.

"We can't do this." I repeated slowly. "This is… we're… I'm…" I couldn't tell her the truth. "We're friends, nothing more. And friends don't do what we just did."

I hated lying to her. This lie especially; telling her that I only thought of her as a friend was the blackest kind of blasphemy.

I saw the comprehension dawn on Bella's face before she picked herself off the ground. "Of course. You're right." She said, no emotion in her voice. "Friends. Nothing more."

"I just don't want to ruin what we have." I said feebly.

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Edward." She was still speaking in a flat tone. "You don't want me in that way. It's pretty easy to understand." She began walking over to the fence that was our entryway. "We should get going."

I wanted to protest. I wanted to tell her to stay. I wanted to tell her just how _much _I wanted her in that way. I wanted to _show _her how much I wanted her.

"Right." I said, climbing over the fence after her.

But I was a coward.

* * *

**Please please don't kill me / I had originally just planned for this chapter to end with the kiss and have that other bit in the next chapter but I didn't want to give you guys the wrong idea.**

**Oh and the line near the end of the book Bella gave Edward is a well-known quote by Aldous Huxley. **

**So anyway, Review? I'd really really like opinions on this chapter in particular. Annoyed/happy/confused, I want to hear about it ;)**


	10. Decision

**A/N: Apologies once again for the wait. Things have just been really hectic and I just haven't had time to write. Also I had major writer's block, which is why this chapter is a little short. I'm sorry guys!**

**Oh and to all readers; have a little faith :) Also, thanks for all the reviews! That's the most a chapter has ever gotten so I was ecstatic!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did, Breaking Dawn would have been very very different...**

* * *

Decision

Why

Why?

_Why, why, why?_

Why was I such an idiot? Why was I pushing her away when it was clear she was what I wanted, maybe what I needed? I wanted to cry out in frustration with myself, but I knew it would do no good. Firstly, because I couldn't change what had happened, so there was no point in getting angry, and secondly because I happened to be sitting on the sofa next to Bella in her living room.

That was the strangest part - Bella's behavior towards me. It hadn't really changed at all. I thought I had offended her, even hurt her when I had pushed her away, but she was acting like she always did – friendly. This puzzled me because I assumed…. Well, it doesn't matter what I had assumed, because I was quite clearly wrong.

Occasionally a flicker of doubt would cross my mind when I would catch Bella looking at me. She would turn away immediately and her cheeks burned red at being caught staring. But the way she talked to me, the way she moved around me, suggested she had forgotten about the kiss, and the rejection that followed.

And this bothered me slightly.

I knew that was wrong, because _I _had been the one to reject _her. _I had absolutely no right to feel this way. But I did. Perhaps it was because the kiss had affected _me _so much I had assumed (again with the assumptions) that she had felt something that night too. That kiss had tortured me for two weeks. Two weeks of nothing but imagining her lips against mine… Moving tortuously slow… Sometimes my thoughts went further than the actual event did, and that was dangerous territory.

"What time do you need to be ready for, Bella?" Alice's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to Bella, curious.

She glanced over at me, so quickly that if I hadn't already been staring I would have undoubtedly missed it. Turning back to Alice she replied hesitantly, "Half seven. The table's booked for eight."

_Dinner reservations? _I hadn't been aware we were going to out tonight.

"Half-seven? Bella, that only leaves you two hours! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" whined Alice.

Bella sighed before answering. "Alice, it's no big thing, I don't want to wear anything fancy."

Now I was definitely confused. Obviously Bella had plans without the group.

" 'No big thing'? Are you insane? You're going to _The Old Post _and you're telling me it's 'no big thing'? I bet Mike had to sell his car to pay for tonight." Interjected Rose, who was curled up against Emmett on the love seat.

My stomach dropped. "Mike?" I tried to keep my voice calm – the opposite of how I felt. "Who's Mike?"

"Bella's date." Replied Alice without looking at me. "Now, I think you should wear that sexy red dress… the one that's kind of low cut…" she began muttering about cleavage/leg ratio but I wasn't paying attention.

Bella had a _date _tonight? Since when did Bella want to date anybody? How had this happened?

"Have you two been dating for long then?" I asked nervously.

"We're not dating." Said Bella thickly.

"Not _yet._" Said Alice. "This is only the second date, Bella, and if it goes as well as the first…"

The first date went well? What the hell did 'well' mean? Just how _well _did it go? My mind was racing. This was all happening so fast. One minute Bella and I were… and the next she was….

Bella groaned at whatever Alice had said. Judging by Emmett's snickering it had to have been at least PG-13.

"I'm not even sure if I want to go tonight…" said Bella slowly. I didn't miss the meaningful look she shared with Alice. "And Rose is feeling sick, I should really stay and take – " she stopped abruptly when she saw Alice scowling at her.

"Do you want your hair curly or straight?" asked Alice, as if she hadn't just glared at her best friend.

"Does it matter?" said Bella, defeated.

"No, but I wanted to let you think you had a get a say in how you'll look tonight…" she smiled. She turned to Jasper, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.

"Jazz, I'll be back in a bit." She kissed him on the cheek before grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her off the sofa. They disappeared through the door to the hall and were followed shortly by Rosalie. Emmett looked upset that she had decided to go play Bella-barbie too.

Silence hung in the air as Jasper and Emmett both turned in my direction. I tried to ignore their staring but gave up almost immediately.

"What?" I sighed, knowing what they were about to say.

"You must have _really _pissed Alice off." Stated Jasper.

"What?" That had not been what I was expecting.

"I mean, sure, it's her job to help Bella make you jealous, but throwing in that stuff about second base… that's just cruel."

"Second base? They – She -What?" I spluttered. How much of that conversation had I missed?

"You weren't even listening?" Jasper raised one eyebrow. "I thought you liked Bella."

"I – I was thinking… I had stuff on my mind." I replied, slowly. Emmett didn't know about my feelings for Bella, and I wasn't planning on telling him. Especially now they were growing stronger everyday.

"Stuff on your mind?" asked Emmett. "Edward, what exactly happened between you and Bella at the party?"

"Nothing." I replied a little too fast.

"Then why is Bella trying to make you jealous by going on a date with Mike Newton?" asked Jasper.

"She's not trying to make me jealous." I replied firmly. The idea was preposterous. "Why on earth would she be trying to make me jealous?"

"We were wondering the exact same thing." Said Jasper.

I sighed, knowing that no matter how hard I tried, I was never good at keeping secrets. At least, ones like this.

"At the party…" I began.

"Yes?" said Jasper and Emmett simultaneously.

"Will you let me tell the story?" I snapped. They were acting like teenage girls.

"Bella and I… we sort of… kissed." I looked down, not meeting their eyes.

"You what?" exclaimed Emmett.

"We kissed." I repeated slowly.

"And then what? Why is she dating Mike if you two…"

"I might have told her I only wanted to be friends." I said nervously.

I heard both of them groan.

"And why did you do that?" asked Jasper.

"I don't know." I whispered.

I looked up to find them exchanging a meaningful look. "Go on, say it. Whatever you want to say, just come out with it."

"Are you an _idiot?_" seethed Jasper. I had never seen him angry before.

"Probably."

"A girl like Bella doesn't come along everyday you know. Do you realise what you've just lost?"

"I – I didn't think – " I stuttered.

"No, you _didn't _think." Said Jasper through gritted teeth.

"Look, this is my business here." I was getting annoyed now. "What's it to you anyway?"

"What's it to me? Bella is like a little sister to me, Edward. And where I come family is important. When you hurt a family member it's a personal insult." Shot Jasper, raising his voice.

"Well what the hell do you want me to do?" I shouted. "Just go up and _tell _her that I think I'm falling in love with her? Yeah, that'll work great!"

Their wide eyes told me I had just said something I shouldn't have.

"You _love _her?" Jasper's words were quiet now.

I wanted to deny it, but I knew that I couldn't. I hadn't admitted it to myself until this very moment. But I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was falling in love with Bella Swan. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point in the five weeks I had known Bella, I had started feeling something I had never felt before. I had certainly not felt this way about Tanya. All thoughts came to a screeching halt. Why did she have to ruin everything? Why did she have to hurt me that way, and in turn hurt Bella?

What was I so afraid of? Was I afraid Bella would do what Tanya did? Get pregnant and dump me? Was that the type of thing she would do? Bella; this girl who I felt like I had known my whole life. Bella, the girl I was in love with…

"Yes."

"Then tell her."

"I can't."

"Why not?" asked Emmett.

"She doesn't like me in that way." I replied quickly.

Jasper let out a groan. "How do you know if you won't tell her? What's the worst that could happen? What are you really afraid of, Edward? Are you afraid she'll hurt you like Tanya did?"

I inhaled sharply.

"Emmett. You had no right - "

"Actually, I think I did. As a friend, Jasper was concerned about you. I only told him so he'd stop worrying about you." Defended Emmett.

I wasn't _really _mad with Emmett. I wasn't even sure where my anger had come from. It had come and gone so quickly. What was she doing to me? I had never felt so vulnerable in my entire life.

"What if she turns out to be just like her?" I whispered, ashamed.

"Do you really think she's like Tanya, Edward? Look at her, look at how she behaves. Is that how Tanya behaved? Look at how she treats you." Said Emmett.

"No." my voice was so quiet now I wondered if they could even hear me.

"Then tell her."

I looked at the door leading out into the hallway. She was upstairs. I could do it right now. I could tell her how I felt about her. Show her how I felt about her…

My mind was made up.

I practically flew to the door in my haste to make it upstairs. I left it open behind me as I launched myself on to the stairs, taking them two at a time. I heard a "Good luck!" from below me, but I was in too much of a hurry to reply.

Only when I reached the landing upstairs did I realise I didn't have a clue which door was Bella's. I looked around me, catching my breath. There were six doors. One of which led to Bella's room.

I listened carefully, trying to hear voices. Didn't a girl's voice always increase in volume when she was around other girls? Sure enough, I heard a giggle from a door on the left. I followed the sound, until I stopped outside the second door. The noise was definitely coming from this room.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Bella?"

The giggling ceased immediately.

"Yes?" I heard her answer.

"Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?"

I heard faint mumblings from behind the door. It sounded like arguing.

"Bella's a little busy right now. Sorry." Came a familiar voice.

"Rosalie, it's important." I said tensely.

"Well she's not dressed, so you'll just have to wait."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling. "Can't she _get _dressed?"

"Well Alice and I need to do her make-up first… Then her hair…" Rosalie was doing this to annoy me, She had to be – no one could be that aggravating naturally. She was definitely enjoying herself at my expense.

"Can't you just do that after?"

"Will you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?" came Bella's voice again.

"Bella, look there's something I have to say…"

"Get my make-up bag from the bathroom and you can talk to her." Called Rosalie, interrupting me. It was probably a good thing, in hindsight, because I had no idea what I was going to say.

I turned, without a word, searching for the bathroom door. This would not be so easy to locate. It would be a matter of trial and error, unfortunately.

I opened and closed each door feverously, until I caught a glimpse of a bathtub behind one. I smiled and opened the door fully, taking in my surroundings.

The make-up bag was sitting atop the bathroom counter. I picked it up, zipping it closed as I did so. There was a tissue beside it, covered in black stains that looked like mascara. Had someone been crying?

I ignored it, wanting to get back to Bella, and went to leave when I noticed something _else _on the counter.

A pregnancy test.

* * *

**Cliffy, I know, I'm sorry! But I've planned on ending this chapter this way for months and months ;) Hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot sooner - try not to send me too many death threats between now and then!**

**Review? Please?**


	11. Like a Morning Fog

**A/N: Sorry? And please please don't hate me for this chapter :(**

**Btw, all of your reviews are amazing. Thank you so much.**

**And this chapter is dedicated to my friend Nicole :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

Like a Morning Fog

_"I am gray today, gloomy and damp like a morning fog."_

No, this couldn't be happening. Not again. Please, not again.

I stared at the small rectangular box in my hand, not quite believing what I was seeing – or perhaps I just didn't want to believe. It had to be Bella's; it was her bathroom after all. How had this happened? How could Bella have done this to me? Who was she sleeping with?

I reeled off names in my head, people I had seen at my birthday party two weeks ago. None of them quite fit… then it clicked.

_Mike Newton._

I'd kill him. How dare he – how dare he even _touch _Bella? He had no right to sleep with her…

I fumed, crushing the box within my hand. I had to get out of here, fast, before I did something I'd regret.

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. It would do no good to mention this to Bella. What could I say? That I knew she was pregnant? That I knew she had slept with Mike Newton?

No, I would not mention this to her. I _would _however need to sever all ties with Bella. That simply couldn't be helped. I couldn't be friends with her after this – certainly nothing more.

I reached this decision slowly, my temper evaporating each second. Stuffing the mangled box into my pocket – for some reason I had to keep it, as evidence for myself – I left the bathroom and went straight downstairs. I ignored Emmett and Jasper's expectant glances as I went through the living room to the French doors.

The air had a breeze to it now, in the late evening. It felt good to be outside, the cool air was calming. It helped to clear my head. I didn't remember the short journey from her house to mine, but the next thing I knew was I was facing Liz in the kitchen.

"Edward, you're home early." She commented, looking up from the onions she was chopping. "I didn't make dinner for you and Emmett, sorry, I assumed you would both be – "

I cut her off by raising a hand. "I'm not hungry, it's okay."

"Why aren't you at Bella's?"

"Bella has a date tonight."

My tone must have been more forlorn than I had intended.

"Oh," her face softened into a motherly expression, one I was quite familiar with, having seen my own mother wear it many times. "I'm sure everything will work out between you two eventually."

Observant, I'd give her that.

"There's nothing to work out. Everything's fine." I hoped she wouldn't notice how transparent the lie was.

She did, of course, but made do with a simple "Hmm." I was excused.

I rushed up to my room, needing solitude to gather my thoughts. My mind was still racing. I took the box out of my pocket carefully, as if I could damage it anymore, and memorized every piece of writing on it.

_Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant._

I shook my head, as if I could somehow shake the thoughts out too. I had to get out of here. There was nothing else for it. I could see no other way to escape Bella. I couldn't stick out another two months here, watching her with this _Mike_.

My fury had returned at his name. I was angry as I began tearing the room apart, searching for items of clothing. I grabbed things randomly, stuffing them into my suitcase that I had found under the bed. All I could think of was her with someone else. Just like Tanya… What were the chances?

The doorbell rang downstairs, halting my movements. I froze, like a deer caught in headlights.

I heard muffled talking, two girls, one of them had to Liz…

Then I heard footsteps coming upstairs. I hastily tried to hide the suitcase under the bed again, but it was still peeking out from under the sheet when the door opened a second later.

Me expression turned stony when I saw who it was. She was wearing a red dress that fell just above her knees. Half of her hair was curled, parts not quite finished. She looked as if she had rushed over.

"Edward?" I turned my back to her, deciding I didn't care if Bella knew I was leaving. In fact, I _wanted _her to know – make her feel guilty about it even. I pulled the suitcase from under the bed and set it atop the comforter, continuing to toss things in. I ignored her completely.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she was scared.

I turned to face her, my expression probably still twisted with anger. She nearly gasped then.

" '_What's wrong?_' What's wrong? Ha!" I laughed without humor. "Don't act stupid, I _know._" I was enjoying this now, I wanted to see the recognition on her face, then see the guilt. It was sick, yes, but I was too angry to care.

"You know what?"

"Ugh, would you stop treating me like I'm an idiot? I mean, obviously I am, since I thought I could trust you… I actually thought you were different, you know that? That you weren't like her, but no, you're all the fucking same."

"Like who? What exactly did I do? I'm obviously too _stupid _to realize, aren't I!" she was angry now too, shouting as well. Liz could probably hear everything downstairs.

"Just like Tanya, just like everyone." My voice was dead now, no feeling left. I was worn out. I looked up at her, to find her frozen. "Bella, just get out. I have packing to do."

"You're – you're leaving?" she choked out. She looked as if she was going to cry. My resolve almost broke at that – seeing her guilt didn't bring me the satisfaction I had thought it would.

"I'm going back to Forks."

"But, but, why?" she _was _crying now.

"For God's sake Bella, just leave. I don't want you here."

"You don't… want me?"

There they were – those damned words again. I'd have to lie; I couldn't let her see just how weak I was. Just how _much _she had hurt me.

"No."

I could see tears streaming silently down her face. She stared at me for one moment more, as if hoping I would change my mind. Part of me was hoping the same thing. Before I knew it she turned and left, slamming the door shut behind her. I heard her footsteps hurrying downstairs, through the hall, out the front door – _slam! _

And she was gone.

I heaved a sigh of – relief? Or was it grief? I tried to ignore the burning I could now feel in my chest. I realised quickly that it would be impossible, and I would just have to live with it. That didn't make it less painful though. In fact it seemed to be growing in intensity by the second. Suddenly the pain of it crushed me, and I collapsed on the bed, pushing the suitcase to the other side.

I closed my eyes, before I showed any more signs of weakness. I was alone, yes, but acknowledging this pain would only make it sting that much more. And besides, I knew Liz could come up at any moment.

_Liz. _I'd have to tell her. And Peter. And Emmett… would he follow? No, of course not, he was too happy with Rosalie.

I mulled these thoughts over, trying to find a way to tell Liz and Peter without hurting their feelings. That was impossible of course; they would feel it was _their _fault…

I sat up and picked my cell phone of the nightstand. First I had to sort out plane tickets. It would probably cost me a fortune on such short notice but I didn't care, I would probably have sold my car back home to pay for it if I had to.

I didn't have the number of course, but I knew someone who would. I didn't want to have to call him, but I had no choice.

"Emmett?"

"Edward, what the hell – "

"What's the flight company's number?" I said quickly, not wanting to explain anything.

"What – why?"

"Do you have the number or not?" I'm sure he heard my impatience.

"Well, yeah, I have it saved in my phone, but if I give it to you will you please tell me why you need it?" he rationed. He knew just how to deal with my… drastic tendencies.

"Fine, yes, just give me the number." At this stage I didn't care.

"Hold on." His voice sounded distant, as if he had taken the phone away from his ear. I heard a few buttons being clicked, before Emmett's voice returned.

I jotted down the number on my hand, grabbing the nearest pen possible.

"Now, why do you want it?" he asked, curiosity coloring his tone.

"Bella's pregnant and I'm going home." I hung up before he could reply. That was as much as he would get from me. Perhaps he'd tell Bella and she'd find out that I knew. As if I hadn't made it obvious enough…

I cringed as I thought of our conversation, if it could even be called that. I had been cruel, yes, but she had betrayed me in every way possible. I put my face in my hands, trying to hold back tears.

_Real manly, Edward._

I hardly ever cried. I could only remember crying a handful of times in my life – it was just something I didn't do. The last time I had cried was at my grandmother's funeral five years ago.

And now I was crying over this? Insanity.

Why was I so hurt over something I had expected to happen? I deserved this, I had clearly put too much of myself out there, left too much of myself vulnerable.

I pulled myself together, brushing any moistness from my eyes. I looked at my hand, the numbers had gone blurry but were still legible. I picked up my phone again and slowly dialled the numbers with trembling hands.

"Good evening, American Airlines, how can I help you?" came a chirpy voice on the other end of the phone.

"I need to book a flight. And I need it as soon as possible."

The roughness of my voice shocked her, and she stuttered as she spoke. "Of course, sir, when is your departure date?"

"Today."

* * *

The flight flew by – excuse the pun. What had seemed like such a long journey before now slipped by in what seemed like minutes. Before I knew it I was collecting my single suitcase from baggage claim, and heading out the automatic doors into a dark, rainy night.

I was home.

As I hitched a cab I thought of Liz and Peter's reactions to my leaving. Liz had almost been in tears, asking me what was wrong, why I leaving so soon. Peter had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, but looked on with weary eyes. He drove me to the airport, not speaking a single word, but he seeming deep in thought. He finally spoke as I was getting out of the car.

"You're throwing away a good thing, Edward. I just hope you realize it before it's too late." He said gravely.

My eyes narrowed, before I nodded and unceremoniously shut the door.

I was brought back to reality with a wave in front of my face.

"Hello?" the taxi driver was looking at me oddly. "Where you headed, kid?" he asked, suspicion in his voice. It was 3am in the morning.

"Forks." My voice was hoarse.

"That's pretty far. It'll cost you."

I threw a bill at him, knowing it would be more than enough. His eyes bugged out as he took in the amount.

"Forks it is then."

The journey passed in a blur, minutes fading to hours. Occasionally the driver tried to start up a conversation, but my expression soon silenced whatever meaningless topic he had planned to discuss with me.

At some point I must have nodded off, because the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by a pair of hands. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking them to clear the sleep that had formed in my slumber. My forehead was pressed up against the window, and I could see the sun was starting to rise.

"Hmm." I mumbled incoherently. I heard a chuckle.

"Kid, we're in Forks, where to?"

I turned quickly to face the driver. He was looking like he wanted me out of his cab as soon as possible.

I reeled off the address, looking out the window at my surroundings. Everything seemed so green. Nearly everything in Phoenix had been brown. Brown earth, stretching for miles.

The driver took a while to find my house. It was off the highway – as almost everything in Forks was – and down a lane. It was this lane the driver had trouble navigating. About two miles in he stopped, and I turned sharply to see why.

"I can't get by, you see those floods?"

I looked through the windscreen, squinting to see what he was talking about. Finally I spotted a large body of water about twenty feet in front of us.

"It's fine, I'll walk." I said, already opening my door.

"That water's got to be a foot deep!"

"I don't care. Thanks." The door shut with a bang.

I grabbed my trunk from the trunk and headed up the lane, trudging my way through various puddles as I went. I didn't care about getting wet. Good thing too, because the flood the driver had been talking about came up to my knees. This spot always flooded in heavy rain.

After wading through the water, I turned a corner and my house finally came into view.

Now came the hard part; explaining all of this to my parents.

I rang the doorbell, having forgotten my key. It was early, but I knew my father would be up; he started work at seven.

The wait was torture, it felt like minutes, when it fact it was probably less than one when the door swung open to reveal my father.

He was already dressed for work, and had a newspaper tucked under his arm. I had interrupted his breakfast.

His jaw dropped as he saw me.

"Hi, dad."

"Edward, what are you doing here?" his mouth still wide open as he gestured for me to come inside.

"I uh – decided to come home early."

"I see that. Why? What's going on? Did something happen while you were there? Is everyone alright?"

"No, nothing happened." I looked down. I was a bad liar at best, and my father could spot any untruths a mile away.

"Edward, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Please, just let me be alone."

"Does your mom know - ?"

"No, I knew if I told her I was coming home she'd just try to persuade me to stay."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Edward."

"Urgh, I don't want to talk about it, alright, Dad?"

His jaw tightened. I had never spoken to him like this.

"I know you're upset, son. But you can't – " he stopped as he took in my appearance. "Did you _walk _through the flood?"

"Yes." I couldn't meet his eyes. "Dad, please. I'll explain, just… not right now… I – I can't." My voice cracked at the end.

Comprehension dawned on his features. He knew now was not the time to push me for answers.

"You must be tired."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak anymore. Dad followed me down the hall and to the staircase.

"Your mother is still sleeping."

I nodded, understanding what he meant. I would be left alone until she woke up, but after that he couldn't be held responsible for what my mother would try to worm out of me.

I climbed the stairs slowly, and my dad watched, before turning and walking back to the kitchen. Suddenly the suitcase felt heavy in my hands. Heavier than before. The journey upstairs was a struggle in my sudden fatigue. I stumbled to my room, and to my bed, barely awake as my head hit the pillow. The pain and the exhaustion were too much to bear.

_I was lying on a surgery table in a white room. But no, I wasn't supposed to be here, not again! I tried to move but I felt paralysed by some invisible force. What had they done to me? I felt a stab of pain in my chest. Suddenly Bella loomed over me, smiling gently. "I'm sorry, Edward." She was holding something… a red, muscled object, pulsing in her hand. I recognized what it was and opened my mouth to scream…_

"Ah!" I sat up in bed, panting. I looked around me for some sign of Bella, but instead I was met with the sight of my mother, sitting on the black leather sofa across the room.

As soon as she caught my gaze she got up and pulled me into a hug. I felt comforted, if only for a moment. I felt like I was ten years old again. "Edward, what happened?" her voice was clouded with sobs. Was she that scared?

"Mom… things are… complicated…" I struggled to get the words out.

"What's wrong? Why… why did you come back? Not that I don't want you here but…" she pulled away and looked me in the eyes.

"It's hard to explain. I wouldn't even know where to start." I mumbled weakly, suddenly ashamed at my rash behavior. Yet I couldn't bring myself to regret coming home.

"Start at the beginning." She encouraged, pushing some hair out of my eyes. I looked down and realized I was still in my wet clothes.

"There's this girl, called Bella." Her name stung my throat. Suddenly the whole thing seemed childish. Running away to my mother when things went wrong.

"Yes?" She hadn't seemed surprised at hearing me talk about meeting a girl. Obviously she had been keeping in regular contact with Liz.

"I… we…. We were friends." I mumbled. The words seemed to be coming out tangled. I wondered if my mother could understand me at all. I certainly couldn't understand myself. "We were close friends. Really close friends. And then…" I stopped.

"What, what happened?" she urged.

"We kissed."

I heard my mom let out a small squeal inspite of herself. At seeing my face, and understanding that this was _not_ a good thing, she fell silent.

"And then I told her I just wanted to be friends."

I watched her face fall. "Why?"

"Because I was afraid she would turn out to be like Tanya." I whispered. It was easy enough to admit it now it had actually come to pass. Not such a silly fear after all.

"Things went back to normal for about a fortnight, and then I was about to tell her… tell her how I felt… when I found it." I swallowed hard. "I found a pregnancy test in her bathroom."

I heard mom's gasp before she covered her mouth. "Oh, Edward, honey, I'm so sorry." She enveloped me in another hug, but I pulled away gently. "Mom, if you don't mind, I'd really like to be alone." Talking about it hadn't helped, that much I knew.

To my surprise, she got up, and with one last hug, was gone. I let myself fall backwards until my head came in contact with the pillow once more.

As my tiredness faded, I felt the burning in my chest that was present in my dream increase. The pain was hitting me full force now and I felt like I would die from it. My throat burned while my eyes watered. I wrapped an arm around my waist; I felt like a part of me was going to spill out if I didn't.

It was this _agony_ inside that was about to explode, but had nowhere to go. Instead it pushed against my bones, the inside of my stomach, it ripped through my very core. Why couldn't it get out? Why was it trapped? I closed my eyes, finally letting tears escape. Why did this hurt so much? Why wouldn't it stop?

I had never felt anything like it. I could barely breathe, and any breaths that I did manage came in rasps. I clutched at the air, trying to keep myself alive, even though somewhere, in the back of my mind, I wished I could let go altogether.

* * *

**Please please don't kill me. Remember, things _will _work out in the end, I swear. What you've been waiting for is coming up very very soon.**

**Secondly, on a completely unrelated note, I have a favour to ask. I'm Irish, not American, and while I try my best to get American slang/spelling/names for things right, I'm sure I get it wrong sometimes (alright, a lot of the time). So if you see something like "lift" go ahead and tell me it should be "elevator" and things like that!**

**Thirdly, review? I'm not sure about this chapter, I don't know if I was able to get the angst right...**


	12. Wake Up Call

**A/N: So, um, hi? *ducks as shots are fired*. I don't even know where to start, so I think I'll start with the actual chapter and explain my 2 month absence at the end, when you're all hopefully not ready to kill me.**

**So anyway, this chapter was... hard..... and didn't really turn out how I wanted it to, but this had to be updated (for yours and my sanity), so here it is. Hopefully it won't disappoint too much.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

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* * *

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Wake-Up Call

Minutes passed. Hours passed. Days passed. I noticed none of these things.

Most of the pain had evaporated, but now, instead of the hole being filled with relief, acceptance - any of those things, it remained empty. I had a gaping hole inside of me. I was a shell, a ghost. My body was in Forks, yes, but my mind certainly wasn't. My mind wasn't _anywhere_ – it seemed lost. I couldn't feel anything; I was too numb, and the numbness was almost worse than the pain – _almost_.

My parents were worried about me, I had noticed that much. I had overhead them talking late one night – I hardly ever slept anymore, I just had nightmares. My father was suggesting I visit a colleague of his; a psychiatrist. I shivered at hearing the word. Was I that messed up? My own parents wanted me to see a shrink? I crept away from the door, walking soundlessly down the stairs to the kitchen. I glanced at the clock as the light flickered on – 1am. I groaned, it wasn't nearly late enough. It would be a long night.

I settled myself at the island, cupping my face in my hands. Coming down to the kitchen late at night had become somewhat of a habit. It was a sort of escape – my bedroom felt too small, too much like a prison. I felt like the walls were closing in on me.

My mind wandered to the events of my last day in Forks. It did this often, and usually I had to hit something to get rid of those thoughts. I didn't care about the lump I could feel forming on my forehead, or the bruise that wouldn't fade from my knuckles. Not when I thought about Bella_. _And I could think of nothing _but _Bella. That was my biggest problem – I thought about her endlessly. She occupied my mind more than I thought possible. Every little thing reminded me of her, whether it was a book by her favourite author lying on the counter (my mother had joined a book club while I was gone), or a song I had heard her humming come on the radio, thoughts of her always followed.

I clenched my fists in an attempt to keep myself from punching the granite. I had done this last night, and although I didn't care about the physical pain, I didn't think having to explain a broken hand to my parents would help my case. My stomach lurched at the thought of talking about my _feelings _to a stranger. Like that would help me at all, I thought bitterly.

Absent-mindedly I took my cell phone from my pocket. 21 unread messages. I couldn't bring myself to read a single one.

I knew that Emmett had talked to my parents. He called while I had been asleep that first morning. Apparently he was in a panic and wanted to talk to me. Said it was "urgent". I had yet to answer one of his calls.

I wasn't mad at Emmett – certainly not – but talking to him while he was in Forks, near Bella, was too hard to even contemplate doing. Most of the messages were from him too, although there were one or two from Bella. It took all my strength not to open these particular messages.

I sighed and placed the phone on the counter, letting it close with a snap. I had just contemplated eating something when the little phone began vibrating. I froze before checking the caller ID. Emmett, as usual. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. The phone continued to buzz until it fell off the edge of the island. I caught it before it clattered to the floor.

Why was he calling me at 1am? Usually he waited until the afternoon at least. He didn't know that I wasn't sleeping these days, and so would hold off so as not to wake me. Whenever he called the house phone I let Esme answer it, or if no one was home, I let the machine pick up. He would never say what he wanted to talk to me about, just that it was important and _could I please call him back? _

The phone went still in my hand, and I knew that Emmett had given up – for now anyway. Gingerly putting the phone back in my pocket I got up from the island, and began rummaging through the cupboards, looking for something that wouldn't taste like carpet going down my throat. After two minutes of fruitless searching, I gave it up as a lost cause and resumed what I had been doing before my cell phone had rang – thinking about Bella.

I wondered what she was doing now, was she asleep? She loved going to bed early. She said sleeping, and dreaming, was her escape.

I wondered if Mike Newton was her new escape.

_Stop it, Edward._

I sat down at the island again, stealing another glance at the clock that hung on the wall.

1:03am.

Fabulous. This night was _definitely_ going to be a long one. The first couple of nights I had attempted to play piano to pass the time – it always relaxed me – but even that didn't work now. My fingers wouldn't move the way I wanted them to, the notes never sounded quite right. She had taken that away too.

Sighing I glanced out the window. It was pitch black and the rain was coming down hard. That was another thing I missed – the sun. That scorching hot Arizona weather. I had forgotten just how bad Forks' weather actually was.

My phone began buzzing again, disrupting my musings. Pulling the phone out of my pocket I glanced at the screen. It was Emmett, _again._

"Jesus Christ, leave me _alone…" _I mumbled. What was _with _him tonight? I let the phone vibrate for a solid minute before it stopped. And then started again. I felt my temper begin to rise. Any small thing could make me angry nowadays. Not thinking, I opened the phone and brought it to my ear.

"What the fuck do you want, Emmett?" I said tensely, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Finally. Why haven't you been taking my calls? I mean I knew you were a jackass but I'm your bro - "

"Is that all you wanted to say? Because I'm trying to sleep here." I lied.

"Bullshit. Mom told me you've been staying up all night since you've gotten here."

Damn it.

"Well tonight I was trying to sleep. So goodbye – "

"Oh no you don't, we need to talk. _Now._"

I exhaled, still trying to calm my temper. "You have two minutes."

"It won't even take that long, trust me." I heard him mumble something before he continued. "If you're in bed, which I know you aren't, get up. You have a visitor."

I froze, not allowing myself to wonder who could possibly be coming.

"What are you talking about?"

"That's why I've been trying to call you, she'll probably be there any minute – "

Abruptly I closed the phone and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and smashed.

She couldn't be coming here. God no. She wouldn't. Not after what she'd done… Please no…

I jumped out of my chair, knocking it to the floor as I went. I had to get out before she got here.

I bounded upstairs to my room, hastily looking for something that resembled a jacket. And some shoes. Yes, shoes were definitely necessary. After 30 seconds of tearing my room apart I was clutching a pair of converse but no jacket.

_Let's hope the rain's cleared up then…_

I took the stairs two at a time but I wasn't fast enough. As my foot hit the last step the doorbell rang. I froze, cursing and closing my eyes, as if somehow the person at the door would just disappear. Then I realised that if I didn't answer it she would just ring the doorbell again, and my parents would come downstairs to see what was going on. I definitely didn't need that.

I had no idea what I would say, or what she could possibly say, but I knew I couldn't leave her outside all night. She'd have to come in. Groaning at this thought I descended the last step and made my way to the front door.

The doorbell rang again just as I got the door open.

And it wasn't who I was expecting it to be on the other side.

"You absolute _ass! _Are you aware that it is fucking freezing outside? And _raining?_ Ever hear of actually answering the door? Is that too hard? Or are you too busy crying and writing in your journal to do it?"

Rosalie Hale was standing on my doorstep.

"Excuse me?" I replied, stunned.

"Are you going to let me in or not?" she pushed past me and I saw a taxi pull away behind her. I guess the taxi driver had made it through the flood. Of course, no one would refuse Rosalie anything…

"I – what are you doing here? Emmett said…" I stopped, unsure of what Emmett had actually said.

"Oh you finally answered? I told him to stop trying two days ago. He's almost as big a moron as you are." She snapped, turning to face me as I shut the door.

"Look, if all you came to do was insult me then you can go; job done." I snapped back. "So if you don't mind, my parents are asleep, and so was I…" This lie was really wearing thin.

"Edward Cullen, you hurt one of my best friends, and you think I'm going to let you get away with it?" she growled.

"Me? Hurt _her? _Oh, well if it isn't the pot calling the kettle black…" I turned away from her and walked into the kitchen. I knew she would follow.

"I know the whole story, Edward. I know why you're so pissed." She said this calmly, but I saw anger in her eyes.

"Pissed? You think I'm _pissed? _Now why would you think that, huh?" I seethed, forgetting to filter my words as they tumbled out of my mouth. "I'd hardly classify how I've felt for the past week as _pissed. _Suicidal maybe, but definitely not pissed."

Rosalie wasn't looking at me anymore. She was examining her nails, looking bored. When she realised I had finished speaking she looked up. "Oh, are you done acting like a five year old now?" she mocked.

I closed my eyes, turning away from her. What did she want? Why wouldn't she just get to the point already? My anger had reached boiling point. All the pent-up emotion from the previous week felt like it would overflow at any second.

"Now, as I was saying. I know why you're angry." She paused and I wanted to zip her mouth shut. I didn't want her to say the words. That would just make it more real.

"And you've got it all wrong."

"You don't know anything…" I mumbled, spinning around to face her.

"Edward, Bella's not pregnant. The girl's as pure as the driven fucking snow."

I made no reply but Rosalie took a deep breath and continued.

"The test you found was mine. _I'm _pregnant."

My first reaction was to assume she was lying. Then when I realized there would be no point in lying about something like this, the shock set in.

"But she…" I fumbled with my words, "Mike Newton…"

"Are you even listening to me? Bella. Is. Not. Pregnant. Now do you realize what an idiot you are?" Her temper had returned but I didn't care. The news that Bella wasn't pregnant was still sinking in. I stayed silent for a minute, thinking about what all of this could mean.

Eventually I found my voice, my eyes widening in horror. "Oh God. What have I done?"

Rosalie sighed as if she was talking to a 1st grader. "Finally he gets it…"

"Is she… did I… Was she hurt when I left?" I could barely get the sentence out; it seemed to burn in my throat. Was Bella as hurt as I had been?

This seemed to sober Rosalie up. "She's been pretty messed up since you left."

My heart dropped about 2 feet. "How do I fix this?"

She looked at me like I was missing something obvious. "And Emmett told me you were intelligent… You need to talk to her. You need to explain why you left. And you need to tell her about Tanya."

I opened my mouth to interrupt but she hushed me. "It's the only way to explain your complete overreaction. And don't go getting mad at Emmett for telling me either."

I didn't really care what Emmett had told her at this point.

I contemplated this for a moment before something else Rosalie had said hit me.

"You're pregnant?"

I expected some sarcastic response but I got none. "Yes."

"I thought that you and Emmett were using…" I cleared my throat, remembering the discussion in the Masens' living room. "Protection."

"We were." Suddenly Rosalie looked vulnerable – a side of her I had never witnessed. "But there was one time when…" She shook her head.

"I'm sorry." I said sincerely. The word didn't seem to be enough. Thoughts about the consequences of this threatened to flood my brain, including Emmett, my idiot older brother, becoming a father, but I had to push them aside, for the moment. I had a relationship to fix.

"I need to go find Bella, don't I?"

"Yes, and lucky for you, you don't even have to leave the state." replied Rosalie, all worry gone from her eyes.

"What? Where is she?"

"She's currently staying at the… damn it, what's the name…" she reached into her jean pocket and fished out a scrap of white paper with two addresses scribbled on it. One of them I recognised as mine. "…Knives and Forks Hotel."

I groaned, thinking of Bella staying in that pathetic excuse for a hotel. Only people who weren't from the area stayed there.

"You're staying there too?" I guessed, trying not to think of the dingy rooms.

"Yeah, it was the closest we could get to your house. How the hell do you live in this town?"

I ignored the second half of her reply. "You can't stay there. You'll have to stay here. Bella too."

I expected her to object but surprisingly she actually cracked a smile. "Thanks… I still don't like you though. And I still think Bella is way too good for you."

I smiled back, agreeing with her for once. "I know." I looked at my watch – it was now 2am. "Will she be awake?"

"Edward, just go. Go fix her."

That was all it took. I was out in the door in a second, sans jacket, and hopping into my Volvo. It felt weird to be back in my own car again, but the engine soon purred to life and I was off.

Knives and Forks Hotel was 2 miles outside the town boundaries. The roads were empty so I was there in a little under 5 minutes. I may have been going slightly above the speed limits though.

As the hotel came into view my heart sped up. I would see Bella. But would she hate me? How could she ever forgive me? Would she even let me talk to her? I swallowed all these questions, concentrating on not hitting the minivan to my right as I pulled into an empty space. One of many.

The receptionist – a scruffy guy in a checked shirt who looked stoned – told me in a British accent that an Isabella Swan was staying in room 106. I thanked him briefly before heading up the narrow staircase. The elevator of course, was out of order.

Room 106 was on the first floor, third door on the right. The peeling gold numbers made me cringe, and I hesitated before knocking. Could I do this? Tell her everything? Could I really trust someone enough to tell them about Tanya?

The answer was yes. I had to do whatever it took to get Bella back. It took me a minute to remember that she had never actually been mine.

I would change that soon enough if she'd let me.

Before I could change my mind and run back to my car, I knocked on the door and held my breath.

It swung open not two seconds later. "Rose, there is a huge spider in – " Bella let out an audible gasp when she saw me. Her mouth formed a small O, and I couldn't help it, before I knew what I was doing I was kissing her. I kissed her so hard she stumbled back into the room – she didn't seem to care though. Her arms roped around my neck and she kissed me back with such abandon that I thought I mightn't be able to stop. She had other ideas though, and the next thing I knew she was pushing me away – _hard. _

I opened my eyes, mourning the loss of contact, and saw the silent tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Bella – Oh God, I'm so sorry, you have no idea… I was an idiot…"

"Edward, stop! Please, just… stop…" she sobbed. "Stop doing this to me. One minute you want me and the next you don't… I don't know where I stand with you…"

"I can explain everything – "

"No, I can't do this anymore. You run hot and cold and I can't keep up with you… I can't keep doing this to myself…" Her arms snaked around her waist and she doubled over as if in pain.

I moved to comfort her, but she stepped back quickly, holding her hands up. "No, stop it. Stop doing this to me."

"Bella, please. Give me just one minute. I can explain it all – the way I've been acting, the way I've treated you…"

She said nothing, and turned to face the window. I didn't even know if she was listening to me anymore.

I knew I had to do this quickly – I might not get another chance. I began, the words coming out rushed. "That day, my last day in Phoenix – the day I left, I was in your bathroom when I found a pregnancy test on the counter. I jumped to conclusions and thought it was yours. I thought that you and Mike had…"

"That Mike and I had _what, _Edward? Had sex? So what if we did? Why do you care? You said you didn't want me, remember? Why should it matter who I date or fuck or – "

"Because I'm in love with you, Bella. I love you. I think I've loved you since the day I met you - "

"Stop it! Just... stop it... You don't mean that, you can't, you wouldn't have pushed me away…" Her tears were still falling steadily down her face. She shook her head furiously.

Before she could stop me I moved forward and grabbed her wrists and held her steady. She squirmed against me, but I held onto her wrists firmly. "I haven't been completely honest with you. I've been holding back. I kept meaning to tell you but… I don't know. I should have told you when you asked me, I know that now. But if you just give me one more chance… Please." I looked into her eyes, bloodshot and heavily shadowed, and willed her to listen. She closed her eyes and stopped struggling. I let go of her wrists and moved away to give her space.

"Here, in Forks, there's this girl called Tanya. We used to go out – before I met you obviously. We had been dating for a few months when she told me that she was pregnant." Silence. "It wasn't mine." I clarified quickly. "We never slept together. But after she told me I felt… hurt. Bella, I lost all my faith in people. I just didn't think I could trust anybody again, after what Tanya had done. I had nightmares about it, I dreaded it happening again." I paused, hoping she'd say something, but still she remained quiet.

"I swore I wouldn't let myself get hurt again. And that meant staying away from girls. But then you came along and everything fucking changed. I couldn't stay away from you no matter how hard I tried. I didn't think you were like Tanya, but…. " I sighed, ashamed. "I was scared, Bella. I was scared because I was falling for you. And somehow, you fell for me too. I was terrified of trusting someone again, but most of all, I was terrified of having you and then losing you. So I did the worst thing I could possibly do – I pushed you away. I'll never forgive myself for hurting you, ever. No matter how long I live.

"You have to understand just how sorry I am. But I'm done messing up. This is for real this time. No more hot and cold, I know who I want to be with. And I think you know too. I'm so sorry, and I know that will never be enough, but I'm willing to spend forever trying to make you forgive me if that's what it takes. I love you and I'm not willing to let you go, Bella. I'll wait, if I have to. I'll wait ten years, if it means I'll get to keep you – "

"Edward."

I looked up and was astounded at how close she was all of a sudden. Our faces were an inch apart.

"No." she said firmly.

I could have sworn my heart stopped beating. No?

"I won't wait ten years, Edward." And with that she crashed her lips to mine.

We still needed to talk - we needed to figure out where we were with each other, and there was Rosalie's pregnancy to deal with, but for now this kiss was all that mattered. We both needed it.

* * *

***Peeks out from behind laptop* Am I dead? Do you all still want to kill me for not updating? Basically there are three reasons why I didn't update for so long. Firstly I'm back at school and in a _really _hard year and at the moment I barely have time to check my email, let alone write an 8 page chapter. Secondly, I had major major writers block with this one. I started it about a week after I published the last chapter (September!) and have been working on it bit by bit between now and then. I finally had some free time tonight, so I sat down and finished it. The third reason is that I really really started to doubt the story altogether. I kind of just thought "Why am I bothering? I'm crap at this." but then tonight I went back and read all you guys' reviews and it really really motivated me to keep going. Seriously, thank you SO much for all the reviews. I still can't believe I've gotten so many. The last chapter got over a hundred! (Though a good few were death threats....). So anyway, I _will _finish this story, I'm determined to, and I don't want to let everybody down. So please, even though I don't deserve it, review? They help me so so much.**

**Oh and in regards to this chapter, Edward and Bella still have some stuff to sort out, as do Emmett and Rose (boy do they ever...) but there's more to Rosalie's pregnancy than is mentioned in this chapter. There'll be more on that later.  
**

**Anyway, life story over! Review!**


	13. Bowed Down

**A/N: I suck at life.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**

* * *

Bowed Down

My mother was standing at the front door in a dressing gown as Bella and I stumbled out of the car, breathless. I hadn't been able to keep my hands off her since leaving the hotel.

When we should have been talking, we had been kissing. Not that I minded too much.

She was laughing, but sobered up immediately upon seeing Esme. I hadn't thought about Bella meeting my parents, but now I realised that she would probably be nervous. I grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

"Morning, mom?" I hoped my voice sounded innocent.

"I came down for a glass of milk, Edward. And do you know what I found instead? A strange blonde girl sitting at the table, reading a magazine." She said, using her "You have a lot of explaining to do" voice.

Well, shit.

"About her…" I mumbled, buying time. "Her name is Rosalie Hale."

"Well, I gathered as much after talking to her." My mother's lips curled up into a smile and I relaxed. "How long have her and Emmett been dating?"

"Since about the day we arrived in Phoenix." I replied. I was still nervous about this topic of conversation, obviously she didn't know about Rose's pregnancy.

Esme smiled before glancing at Bella beside me. Her smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Esme Cullen, I'm Edward's mom. You must be Bella." She reached out to shake Bella's hand and Bella hurried to reciprocate.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen." She was being shy Bella now.

"You can call her Esme." I squeezed her hand.

My mother didn't miss this gesture as she let us into the house. By now the sun was starting to rise. We had been in the hotel room quite a while. And then outside…. And then the car….

Still holding Bella by the hand, I led us into the kitchen, which was now empty. My mother, as if reading my mind, said, "Rosalie is in the first guest room, sleeping. She looked tired, poor thing."

I cleared my throat. Yes, she would be tired. Pregnant women often were, weren't they?

"Right, well, so is Bella, so we're just going to go to bed now…"

My mother raised her eyebrows. "Bella can go to bed." She smiled kindly at her before turning to me. "You are staying right here. We need to have a little talk."

My shoulders slumped before I sighed. "I'll show Bella to her room."

I started up the stairs, Bella in tow, when my mother spoke. "The guest room, Edward."

Right, of course.

I grunted in response, my cheerful mood from earlier gone. I was not looking forward to a "little talk" with Esme. "Little talks" with my mother usually involved her trying to get me to "express my feelings" and let her "help me". I had had enough little talks to last me a lifetime.

Still, the sooner I got it over with, the sooner I could kiss Bella again. It had been nearly five minutes since we had left the car. Entirely too long.

I led her to the second floor and down the hall. When I knew we were out of my mother's sight and hearing I pulled her to me and kissed her gently. She smiled against my lips.

"Edward. Go talk to your mother."

I liked when Bella was bossy.

"No." I kissed her again.

"Edward. She has a right to know what's going on."

I pulled away and sighed. "How do I explain about the pregnancy test? It's not my place to say."

She contemplated this for a moment. "Tell her… tell her it was Alice's. She doesn't know Alice, and therefore won't care."

"Won't Alice be slightly annoyed?"

"No, she'll think it's funny. She'd probably even go along with it just to freak Jasper out."

"Okay." I grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Now, where's this room?" inquired Bella, swatting me away.

"Oh, right. You can have the room next to Rosalie's." I pulled her along until we came to the right door. I opened it with a flourish. "I'll try escape as soon as possible." I assured her; sorry I couldn't give her a proper tour. "And I'll bring your bags up from the car on my way."

I leaned in for another kiss but Bella laughed and pushed me out the door. "Go. Come back later when you're less horny."

I sighed, defeated and began my descent downstairs, not entirely sure of what I would say.

"Okay, I'm here. Let's get this over with…" I mumbled as my mother came into view.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic, son, we might think you actually _enjoy _talking to us." My father had appeared from the living room and was sitting reading the newspaper.

I grimaced and slid into a seat across from him at the table. My mother remained standing.

"Alright, explain." Was all she said.

"It wasn't Bella's test. It was…" I stopped, still unsure if using Alice as a scapegoat was a good idea.

"Some girl named Alice's, correct?" my mother finished.

"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.

"Rosalie told me. Really Edward, you shouldn't have been so rash… If you'd just trust people more…"

"Yeah okay, I get it, Edward has trust issues…." I rolled my eyes.

"Son, we're trying to help you. You and Bella obviously patched things up – I assume that's where you were this morning?" replied Dad.

"And she seems like such a lovely girl." Mom smiled before her expression turned serious. "Don't do anything stupid, Edward."

"Me? You act like I ruin all of my relationships. It's _my _fault that my girlfriend of seven months cheated on me and got pregnant, is it?" I felt my voice rising.

"Edward, calm down and stop jumping down everybody's throat. The world is not out to get you." Said my mother soothingly.

I ducked my head, slightly ashamed at my temper. "I really like Bella. I won't mess it up." I said, my voice barely audible.

"Then trust her. Trust that she's a good person, that she'll make good choices." Replied my father.

I got up from the table. "Are we done here?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" mom's smile was back.

"I'm tired, I haven't slept in days." I feigned a yawn.

"Alright, go to bed then… will I call you and Bella for lunch?" asked my mother, sitting down beside Dad.

"Sure, sure." I glanced at my watch. It was now 7am.

Pulling my car keys from my pocket I went outside and retrieved Bella and Rosalie's bags. Rosalie's seemed to weigh half a ton. How long had she been planning on staying? Bella's was entirely too light for how long I wanted _her _to stay. That was a discussion we would need to have sooner or later. Later, hopefully.

I lugged the bags through the kitchen ignoring the bemused look my father gave me.

"Emmett called while you were gone. I told him you were MIA and he seemed happy enough, but he said to call him back when you got home."

I made sure my expression didn't change as I nodded. I carried the bags upstairs before returning to the kitchen to get the phone.

I really really needed a new cell phone…

I hurried up to my room, eager to get this conversation over with. Why was everyone trying to interrupt Bella time, dammit?

"Edward?" Emmett answered on the first ring.

"Did you even go to bed last night?" I said, surprised he hadn't fallen asleep after calling.

"No, and that doesn't matter right now. Did you talk to Bella?"

"Yes. And your girlfriend. How the hell do you put up with that crap?"

"Watch it." He warned. "You were a douchebag to her friend. Of course she's gonna lay into you."

"Bella could have just come on her own." I grumbled.

"Nah, you needed someone like Rose to call you out on your shit, Ed."

"Thanks, Emmett. That means a lot." I rolled my eyes.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and I knew I was going to have to bring up why he had called this morning.

"Are we going to talk about the giant elephant in the room or just ignore it?" I asked.

I heard him sigh. "I don't know what we're going to do."

"Emmett how the hell could be so… stupid? You were using condoms, what the fuck happened?"

"I – we were…. But there was this one time…."

"That's what she said too." I replied dryly.

"I mean she isn't even supposed to be able…." He was talking to himself now.

"What? Rosalie can't… she can't _have _kids?" Now I was confused. "Then how…?"

"I don't know, okay?" snapped Emmett. "It's a long story… it… it's complicated."

"I have time." I didn't really, but I wanted to know now.

"It doesn't concern you, Edward. What _should_ concern you is that I'm going to be a Dad. What am I supposed to do?"

It was rare for Emmett to get worked up over anything, and hearing him like this was always a sobering experience.

"I don't know. Shit, I'm sorry." I said sincerely.

"You haven't told Mom or Dad, have you?"

"No. And neither has Rosalie. We told them the test was Alice's."

Emmett laughed humorlessly. "Jazz would know how to handle this though, wouldn't he? He's gonna flippin' marry that girl."

"I know." I said consolingly. "Has she… Has Rose decided?"

"I think she wants to keep it." He said, resigned. "I can't stop her. I mean this may be her only chance… But Christ, she's nineteen years old, Edward."

I considered this for a moment. "And college?"

"She's talking about nursery during the day. She feels pretty strongly about it. I can't get a word in edgewise. I've never seen her so set on something. I mean she's always been stubborn but…"

I listened while he talked, both to himself and to me. He was so worked up, I'm surprised he even let Rosalie leave. After half an hour he hung up, and I felt a twinge of pity for him. He was twenty one, still in college, his whole life ahead of him…

I sounded like my mom.

_Snap out of it, Edward. Think about it later._

That seemed to be my motto these days, but I didn't care. I could finally get back to Bella. I grinned at that thought and made my way down a floor to where her room was located. I knocked on her door, praying she wasn't sleeping, and it opened a crack before I was yanked in by my shirt.

I grinned at the sight of Bella, her hand gripping my collar tightly. "Hello."

"How did the talk go? Did your mom buy it?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Rosalie already told her it was Alice's test." I paused. "Has she talked about… _it_… a lot?"

"No, not really. She's being… _stubborn _about it. She's adamant that she's going to keep it."

"And you don't think she should?" I asked, taking her hand in mine and sitting down on the bed.

Bella sighed before sitting beside me. "Rose has always wanted kids. Like, always. Even when we were younger she'd always make her Barbie pregnant." She paused for a moment, uncertain. "And then… when she was thirteen…"

"Yes?"

She looked at me, studying my expression. "She had a difficult year."

"You can't tell me, can you?"

"It's really not my story to tell. Of course, I'm sure Rose will tell you in her own time… or if…" she trailed off, as if realising she had said too much.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me." I squeezed her hand.

It felt odd to be able to that – such a simple little gesture. But she was mine, I was allowed to hold her hand, and kiss her, and talk to her whenever I wanted to. I actually had her.

Bella, as if reading my thoughts leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Thank you."

When she pulled away I spoke. "Is the Cullen household to your liking? Is your room okay? Because you can stay in the other guestroom if you'd like…"

"Just how many guestrooms are there in this house anyway?" she quirked one eyebrow.

"Too many. My room's the nicest. You should be staying there." I grinned.

She pushed me playfully and I fell back onto the bed. "You are such a teenage boy."

"I know. It's extremely unnerving." I pulled her down beside me.

We lay in silence for a few minutes, until Bella spoke. "Edward… how long is this… arrangement going to last?"

"Arrangement?"

"I mean…" I felt her fidget beside me, nervous. "Are you going to stay here? Or…"

I considered this for a moment. "What would you like to do?"

"Me? Why does it matter what I want to do?" she sat up, gazing down at me.

"Well, if you're going back to Phoenix, I'm obviously going to follow." Didn't she get that?

"I – That's – This is so strange."

"You mean this?" I gestured between us.

She nodded. "I mean we're actually… together. You _want _to spend time with me. You're not running."

"I'm not running." I repeated, testing the words out. "Except after you, if you go back to Phoenix. Which I know you want to." I glanced at her, confirming my suspicions.

"I have a job. And Alice would kill me if I left her for the rest of the summer. And Rosalie will need to go back…." She was blabbering.

I kissed her, effectively ending her speech. "Then I'll go with you."

This seemed to satisfy her, because she smiled and lay back down.

I could definitely get used to this.

* * *

My mom called us for lunch at 2 o' clock. I heard her voice from downstairs and was glad she hadn't come up to call us. I was supposed to be in my room. Not that Bella and I had been doing anything we shouldn't have been, in fact we had fallen asleep pretty quickly, but we _had _been lying on a large bed. I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.

Not that it would be a terrible idea, and while I certainly wouldn't object if that were the case, I had a feeling Bella wouldn't be so willing. Yet, anyway.

Yes, I had definitely turned into a typical teenage boy in the span of a few hours. What the hell was wrong with me? Sure I had thought about sex before, fooled around with a few girls in high school, before Tanya. But I hadn't slept with anyone, and I was suddenly wondering what the hell was holding me back. Nothing now, that was clear. Bella had changed things. Bella had changed me.

Into a horny adolescent apparently.

I smirked as I sat down at the kitchen table in front of a plate of spaghetti that was quite possibly the size of Italy itself.

"You know I did eat while I was away." I commented, picking up my fork as Bella sat down in front of me.

"I know. But you like my spaghetti." Said my mom, bustling about the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes. She still treated me like a kid when it came to food.

"This looks lovely… Esme." Said Bella, unsure whether the offer of calling my mom Esme still stood.

"Thank you." Said mom, sitting down beside her. I distinctly saw Bella gulp.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" mom asked, digging into her spaghetti, which was considerably smaller than mine.

"There's not really much to tell." Replied Bella shyly.

Now this would have to stop. My family probably loved her more than me already. She didn't have to be so afraid.

"Well," mom prodded, "Did you grow up in Arizona? What would you like to be when you're older? How difficult was Edward when you first met him?" she asked all of this in one breath.

Bella's reply was a nervous laugh, before she cracked a smile. "Yes. I'm not sure yet. And he wasn't too bad." She said, making sure she had answered all of the questions.

"Now why don't I believe that?" mom quirked one eyebrow.

"You act like I'm a sociopath." I mumbled, twisting my fork.

"No I don't. Now eat your spaghetti."

I shook my head, shooting an apologetic glance at Bella. My mother liked to interrogate any girls I brought home.

"Will you be staying with us for long? We'd love to have you."

"Um, actually I was thinking of going back soon." Bella said quietly.

"Oh? I thought…" she looked at me swiftly before returning to gazing at Bella.

"I'm going with her, mom."

"Well, if that's what you want. But don't forget you'll need to be back by August 25th. We need to get your stuff moved in at Penn."

Bella choked on her spaghetti. I guess I might have failed to mention where I was going to college in September. I was trying not to think about it, if I was honest with myself.

"You're – you're going to _Penn?_" she spluttered, shyness forgotten. "As in, across the country Penn?"

I swallowed. "Yes. Why, where are you going?" This couldn't be good.

"Stanford." She whispered.

My throat had gone dry all of a sudden, and my voice came out hoarse. "Stanford as in... California?"

"I don't know of any other Stanford."

_Great._

* * *

**I know. I'm so sorry. 3 months. That's kind of pathetic. Just yeah, school stuff as usual, real life, etc. I'm on midterm break (do you guys have that over in the US?) right now, which is why I have time to write. I actually had this written a few days ago but I was kind of terrified of posting it and having to explain why I didn't update for so long AGAIN. Also I hadn't really planned on bringing the college thing in in this chapter (I had wanted just one chapter of pure E/B fluff sans angst) but it was kind of unavoidable, so yes, don't kill me for that**.

**So even though I'm a horrible person who never updates, reviews would be lovely. I'm kind of afraid you guys might find this chapter a bit boring after all the ~drama that's been in the last few chapters, so feedback would be great.**


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